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^  V-  ■  '■^ij 


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THE 

NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

LIFE  OF  OUR 

BLESSED  LORD  AND  ? 

JESUS  CHI 

THAT  GREAT  E 

AS  WELL  AS  SAVIOUI  ' 

CONTAINING 

An  authentic  account  of  all  the  real  fact^ 
exemplary  life,  meritorious  sufferings,  u 

TO  WHICH  IS  ADDED 

The  Lives,  Transactions,  Sufferings  and  Deaths 

OF    HIS 

HOLY  APOSTLES,  EVANGELISTS,  AND  DISCIPLES. 

THE    WHOLE    INTERSPERSED    WITH  \ 

PRACTICAL  IMPROVEMENTS  AND  USEFUL 
REMARKS. 


BY  PAUL  WRIGHT,   D.  D. 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 
VOL.  IL 

Wj^wui    wiiMM.immwmiimmnmKmmmmmmmimtmmmnmmmmi 


PUBLISHED  BY 

DANIEL    FENTON,    MILL-HILL,    NEAR    TRENTOBT, 


James  Oram,  Printer, 

1810. 


-^^ 


■'/ 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII, 

Christ's  Agony  and  Prayer  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane : 
Judas  betray eth  Jesus  with  a  Kiss  :  The  Officers  and  Soldi- 
ers, at  Christ's  word,  fall  to  the  ground  :  Christ  healeth  a 
Servant  of  the  High-Priest,  whose  Ear  was  cut  off  by  Peter: 
His  Disciples  flee  :  He  is  led  bound  to  Annas  and  Caiaphas.      9 

CHAPTER  XXXIV^. 

Peter  thrice  denies  his  having  any  knowledge  of  Jesus  ;  but  on 
his  Lord's  turning  and  looking  on  him,  he  repenteth 18 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

The  Trial  of  Jesus  before  the  Sanhedrim,  or  grand  Council 
of  the  Jews.  •  .  .  • .  .  .  ,    2^ 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Jesus  is  led  before  Pilate  :  Judas  relents,  carries  back  the  mo- 
ney, and  hangs  himself:  The  Governor  refuses  to  judge 
our  blessed  Saviour,  declares  him  innocent,  and  sends  him 
to  Herod ;  who,  after  hearing  his  Accusers,  sends  him  back 
again • 27 

CHAPTER  XXXVH. 

Pilate  gives  the  Jews  their  choice  of  Jesus  or  Barabas  to  be 
released  :  Upon  the  clamour  of  the  common  People,  Bar- 
abas  is  loosed,  and  Jesus  delivered  up  to  be  crucified :  He 
is  crowned  with  thorns,  spit  on,  and  mocked SQ 

CHAPTER  XXXVHI. 

JEsus  is  led  forth  to  Calvary  :  Simon,  the  Cyrenian,  compelled 
to  carry  the  Cross :  He  is  crucified  between  two  Malefac- 
tors :  A  Title  is  put  upon  the  Cross  by  Pilate,  and  lots  cast 
for  his  Garment:  The  Multitude,  the  Rulers,  the  Priests, 
and  the  Soldiers  revile  Jesus  :  The  conversion  of  one  of  the 
Thieves  :  The  great  and  unnatural  Eclipse  of  the  Sun  :  Je- 
SL's  speaks  to  his  friends  from  the  Cross,  cries,  "  It  is  finish- 
ed," recommends  his  Spirit  into  the  hands  of  his  Heavenly 
Father  and  expires • •  •    45! 


fy  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

A  Roman  Soldier  thursts  his  spear  into  our  Saviour's  Side :  Jo- 
sepli  of  Arimathea  comes  to  Pilate,  and  begs  of  him  the 
Body  of  Jesus 61 

CHAPTER  XL. 

Mary  Magdalene,  and  the  other  Mary,  go  out  to  view  the  Se- 
pulchre, and  bring  Spices  to  embalm  the  body  of  Jesus  : 
A  great  earthquake  accompanies  the  resurrection  :  An  an- 
gel descends,  and  Jesus  rises  from  the  dead  :  The  behaviour 
of  the  Jewish  rulers  thereupon 66 

CHAPl'ER  XU. 

The  Speech  of  the  Angel  to  the  Women,  informing  them  that 
Jksus  was  risen :  Peter  and  John  go  into  the  Sepulchre  : 
Christ  appears  to  Mary  Magdalene :  The  company  of 
\\  omen  set  out  a  second  time  in  quest  of  Peter  and  John  : 
Jesus  meets  them  :  Mary  Magdalene  and  the  company  of 
Women  return  from  their  several  interviews  with  Jesus  .* 
Peter  runs  to  the  Sepulchre  a  second  time,  and  as  he  re- 
turns sees  his  great  Lord  and  Master 6^ 

CHAPTER  XLH. 

Jesus  appears  to  two  of  his  Disciples  on  the  Road  to  Emmaus  : 
He  appears  to  his  apostles  on  the  evening  of  the  Resurrec- 
tion, Thomas  being  absent:  He  appears  again  to  the  Apos- 
tles, and  convinces  Thomas  :  Shews  himself  to  his  Disciples 
at  the  Sea  of  Tiberias  :  and  to  five  hundred  of  the  Brethren 
in  Galilee.    .  , 79 

CHAPTER  XLHL 

Jesus  ascends  into  Heaven  :  The  principal  Arguments  of  the 
Deists  against  our  blessed  Saviour's  Resurrtcnon  consider- 
ed and  refuted  :  Rellections  on  the  Life  and  poctriiic  of  our 
great  Redeemer g^f 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Observations  on  the  Doctrine  of  our  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour ; 
The  Excellency  of  the  Religion  he  inforced  and  inculcated  * 
And  the  Reasonableness  of,  and  Pleasure  resulting  from  a 
Christian  Life , i02 


CONTENTS. 


Lives  of  the  Apostles,  ^c. 


PAGl-.. 

Life  of  St.  Matthew,  the  Evangelist  and  Apostle 1^3 

St.  Mark,  the  Evangelist  and  Apostle 131 

St.  Luke,  the  Evangelist i-3S 

St.  John,  the  Apostle  and  Evangelist,  commonly  called 

the  Divine 1  "l-S 

St.  Paul,  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles 150 

St.  James  the  Apostle,  surnamed  the  Great 220 

St.  James  the  Apostle,  surnamed  the  Less 2-7 

St.  Peter,  the  Apostle  to  the  Jews 235 

St.  Jude,  the  Apostle ^75 

St.  Thomas,  the  Apostle.  . 279 

St.  Andrew,  the  Apostle -83 

St.  Bartholomew,  the  Apostle 29  i 

St.  Barnabas,  the  Apostle 2i?5 

St.  Philip,  the  Apostle 303 

St.  Simon,  the  Apostle,  surnamed  the  Zealot.  .  .  .  .    bOt 

St.  Matthias,  the  Apostle 30y 

.  '         I'he  Virgin  Mary,  Mother  of  Jesus.  . 312 

Mary  Magdalene. 319 

Mary,  the  Sister  of  Lazarus ^o, 

Mary  of  Cleopas 32 1 

Mary  Salome,  an  Hebre^v  Convert.  .  .  » 322 

Trophimus,  a  Gentile  Convert*. io. 

Tychius,  a  Gentile  Convert 323 

Tertius,  a  Gentile  Gonvert. i^J. 

.  I^inus,  a  Gentile  Convert •  •    i^' 

Onesiphorus,  a  Gentile  Convert 324    ^ 

Sttphanus,  a  Gentile  Convert z(^. 

Phebe,  a  Deaconess 325 

Sosipater,  a  Gentile  Convert ib. 

Demas,  a  Gentile  Professor 325 

Aristarchus,  a  Gentile  Convert zi>. 

Clement,  a  Gentile  Convert ^27 

Ananias,  a  Jewish  Convert i^. 

Nicholas,  a  Disciple  and  Deacon 328 

Nicodemus,  an  Hebrew  Convert id. 

Joseph  of  Arimatiiea,  an  Hebrew  Disciple 329 

Philemon,  a  Gentile  Convert 330 

Priscilla,  a  Jewish  Convert. id. 

Apollos,  a  Jewish  Convert .  331 

T  itus,  a  Gentile  Gonvert. 332 

Timothy,  a  Gentile  Convert 3)3 

St.  Stephen,  tlie  ProtO'Martyr.  ^ 334 

St.  Silas,  or  Sylvanus,  an  Hebrew  Disciple 335 

St.  Philip,  the  DeacoDj  an  Hebrew  Convert.- 33T 


vi  CONTENTS. 


A  General  Vieiv  of  the  Apostolic  Churches, 


PAGE. 

The  Clmtch  at  Antioch,  in  Syria 3.'59 

The  Church  at  Home,  in  Italy 341 

The  Church  at  Jerusalem,  in  Judea , 345 

The  Ciiurch  at  Constantinople,  anciently  called  Byzantium.  .  347 
The  Church  at  Alexandria,  in  Egypt 348 


M« 


The  Evidences  upon  which  Christianity  is  founded  ;  including 
a  complete  defence  of  Christianity,  together  with  plain  and 
satisfactory  Answers  to  all  Objections  made  against  our 
Holy  Religion  by  Jews,  Atheists,  Deists.  Infidels,  Free- 
Thinkers,  Sec 350 


APPENDIX. 


Evidences  of  the  Christian  Religion,  briefly  and  plainly 
stated^  by  James  Beattie,  LL,  D,  F,  R.  S. 


Introduction 36*> 

.                                          CHAPTER  I. 
Revelation  is  useful  and  necessary.  ....,.*... 373 

CHAPTER  IJ. 

The  Gospel  History  is  True 384 

Skct.  I.  The  Gospel  considered  as  a  portion  of  anci- 
ent history 385 

Sect.  II.  The  subject  continued.  Of  the  argument 
from  prophecy 401 

StcT.  III.  The  Subject  continued.  The  f^iith  of  the 
first  disciples  was  the  effect,  not  of  weakness,  but  of 
well  grounded  conviction 409 

Sect.  W.  The  Subject  continued.  The  excellency  and 
singular  nature  of  Christianity,  a  proof  of  its  truth.  .     427 


CONTENTS. 


_  PAGE. 

CHAPTER  III. 


I.  II.  From  the  number,  the  abilities,  and  the  virtues  of 
unbelievers 44.7 

III.  trom  the  obscurity  of  particular  doctrines  and  pas- 
_^sages 453 

Iv.  I'rom  supposed  inconsistencies  in  the  gospel  history. 
Of  inspiration 457 

V.  From  supposed  unsuitableness  of  Christianity  to  the 
general  course  of  human  affairs 461 

VI.  From  its  supposed  inefficacy  in  reforming  mankind.  465 

VII.  From  the  apparent   insignificancy  of  the  human 
race,  as  compared  with  the  extent  of  the  universe.  .  .    472 


aMfe,^,^^ 


THE  NEW  AND   COMPLETE 
UFK  OF  OUR  BLESSED  LORD  AND  SAVIOUR 

JESUS  CHRIST: 

CONTAINTNG 

The  most  authentic  and  full  account  of  all  the  wonderful 
TRANSACTIONS,  SUFFERINGS,  AND  DEATH 

OF    OUR  ' 

GLORIOUS  REDEEMER, 

WITH 

THE  LIVES,  ACTS,  AND  SUFFERINGS,  OF  HIS  UOLY 
APOSTLES,  EVANGELISTS,  DISCIPLES,  &C.  IN- 
CLUDING THE  LIVES  OF  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST, 
THE  VIRGIN  MARY,  AND  MANY  OTHER  EMINENT 
PERSONS  AND  PRIMITIVE  CHRISTIANS,  NOT  TO 
BE   FOUND    IN   ANY    OTHER  WORK   OF    THIS     KIND.^ 


CHAPTER  XXXIIL 

Christ's  Agony  and  Pray €7'  in  the  Garden  of  Geth- 
semane:  Judas  betray eth  Jesus  with  a  Kiss:  The 
Officers  and  Soldiers,  at  Christ's  Word,  fall  to 
the  Ground:  Christ  healeth  a  Servant  of  the  Uigh^ 
Priest,  whose  Tar  xvas  cut  off  by  Peter:  His  Disci- 
ples flee:  He  is  led  bound  to  Annas  and  Caiphas, 

JL  HE  prayer  of  our  great  Intercessor  being  ended,  he, 
with  his  disciples,  came  down  from  the  Mount  of 
Olives  into  the  field  below,  called  Gethsemene,  through 
which  the  brook  Cedron  ran,  and  in  it,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  brook,  v/as  a  garden,  called  the  garden  of 

VOL.  ii  B 


10  NEW  AMI)  COMPLETE 

Gcthsemenc.  Here  he  desired  his  disciples  to  sit  down, 
perhaps  at  tlic  garden-door  within,  till  he  should  retire 
to  pray,  taking  with  him,  Peter,  James,  an(i<John,  those 
three  select  disciples  whom  he  had  before  chosen  to  be 
witnesses  of  his  transfiguration,  and  now  to  be  eye- 
witnesses of  his  passion,  leaving  the  other  disciples  at 
the  garden- door,  to  ^^-atch  the  approach  of  Judas  and 
his  band.  Tlie  sufi'erings  he  was  on  the  point  of 
undergoing  were  so  great,  that  the  very  prospect 
of  them  terrified  him,  and  made  him  express  him- 
self in  this  doleful  exclamation,  My  soul  is  exceed- 
ing sorrowful^  even  unto  death:  tarrij  ye  here,  and 
watfch.  On  this  great  occasion  he  sustained  those  griev- 
ous sorrows  in  his  soul,  by  which,  as  Avell  as  by  dying 
on  the  cross,  he  became  a  sin-offering,  and  accomplish- 
ed the  redemption  of  mankind.  He  now  withdrew  from 
them  about  a  stone's  cast,  and  his  human  nature  being 
now  overburdened  beyond  measure  he  found  it  neces- 
saiy  to  retire  and  pray,  that  if  it  was  possible,  or  con- 
sistent with  the  salvation  of  the  w^orld,  he  might  be  de- 
livered from  the  sufferings  which  were  then  lying  on 
him  :  it  w^as  not  the  fear  of  dying  on  the  cross  v/hich 
made  him  speak  or  pray  in  such  a  manner :  to  suppose 
this,  M'Ould  infinitely  degrade  his  character,  make  his 
sufferings  as  terrible' as  possible,  and  clothe  them  with 
all  the  aggravating  circumstances  of  distress :  yet  the 
blessed  Jesus,  whose  human  nature  was  streno-thened 
by  bemg  connected  with  the  divine,  could  not  shrink  at 
the  prospect  of  his  sufferings,  or  betray  a  weakness 
which  many  of  his  foIlo\vers,  who,  though  mere  men, 
were  strangers  to ;  having  encountered  more  terrible 
deaths  without  the  least  emotions.  He  addresses  his 
Divine  Father  with  a  sigh  of  fervent  wishes,  that  the 
cnp  niight  if  possible,  be  removed  from  him :  in  the 
Greek,  it  is,  '  O  that  thou  wouldst  remove  this  cup 
irom  me.'  And  Inn  ing  first  kneeled  and  prayed,  he 
icil  prostrate  on  his  face,  accompanying  his  address 
w  ith  due  expressions  of  resignation,  adding  immedi- 
ately, Nevertheless,  not  as  I  will,  hut  as  thou  wilt.  Hav- 
ing prayed,  he  returned  to  his  disciples',   aiKl  finding 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST,  U 

tliem  asleep,  he  said  to  Peter,  Sinion,  sleepest  thou? 
Coiddest  not  tliou  watch  one  hour?  Canst  thou  so  soon 
forget  thy  Master  ?  Thou  who  so  hitely  boasted  of  thy 
couraa:e  and  constancy  in  mv  serA-icc. 

However,  in  his  greatest  distress,  he  never  lost  sight 
of  that  kind  concern  lie  had  for  his  disciples :  WatcJi 
ye^  he  says,  and praij  lest  ye  enter  jnto  temptation.  Nei- 
ther was  he  on  those  extraordinary  occasions,  in  the 
least  moved  with  the  ofiences  whidi  they  had  commit- 
ted through  frailty  and  human  w^^akness:  on  the  con- 
trary, was  always  willing  to  mako  excuses  for  them ; 
alledging  in  their  defence,  that  the  spirit  truly  ivas  rea- 
dy, but  the  flesh  was  weak,  it  seems  from  these  par- 
ticulars, that  he  spent  some  considerable  time  in  his  ad- 
dresses, l^ccause  the  disciples  fell  asleep  in  his  absence, 
and  he  himself  retired  again  to  pray;  for  the  sorrows 
of  our  Lord  continuing  to  increase  upon  him,  affected 
him  to  such  a  degree,  that  he  retired  a  second  time, 
and  prayed  to  the  same  purpose,  saying,  Omy  Father^ 
if  this  cup  may  not  pass  away  from  me,  except  I  drink 
it^  thy  xvill  be  done.  After  which  he  returned  again  to 
them,  aud  found  them  asleep,  Jhr  their  eyes  were  hea- 
vy. He  returned  thus  frequently  to  his  disciples,  that 
they,  by  reading  his  distress  in  his  countenance  and 
gesture,  might  be  witnesses  for  his  passion,  which 
proves  that  his  pains  were  beyond  description,  intense 
and  complicated;  for  he  went  away  the  third  time  to 
pray,  and  notwithstanding  an  angel  was  sent  from  hea- 
ven to  comfort  and  strengthen  him;  yet  they  over- 
whelmed him,  and  threw  him  into  an  agon)^;  upon 
which  he  still  continued  to  pray  more  earnestly:  but 
the  sense  of  his  sufterings  still  increasing,  they  strained 
his  whole  body  to  so  violent  a  degree,  that  his  blood 
wd.%  pressed  through  tlie  pores  of  his  skin,  which  it 
pervaded,  together  with  his  sv/eat,  and  iell  down  in 
large  drops  to  the  ground  :  And  he  left  tlietn^  and  went 
xiway  again.  And  titer e  appeared  an  angel  unto  Jiun 
from  heaven,  strengthening  him.  And  being  in  an  ago- 
t'/y,  lie  prayed  vtore  earnestly:  g,nd his  swca(  %uas  as  ii. 


12  NEW  AND  COiSIPLETE 

tvere  if r eat  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to  the  ground. 
Thus  did  he  suffer  unspeakable  sori'ows  in  his  soul,  as 
long  as  the  di\  ine  \dsdom  thought  proper.  At  length 
he  obtained  relief,  being  heard  on  account  of  his  per- 
fect and  entire  submission  to  the  will  of  his  heavenly 
Father :  And  when  he  rose  up  from  prayer^  and  was 
come  to  his  disciples^  he  found  them  sleeping  for  sor- 
row.  This  circumstance  shews  how  much  the  disci- 
pies  were  affected  with  their  Master's  sufferings :  the 
sensations  of  grief  which  they  felt  on  seeing  his  un- 
speakable distress,  so  overpowered  them,  that  they  sunk 
into  sleep.  Our  blessed  Saviour  for  the  last  time  came 
to  his  disciples,  and  seeing  them  asleep,  he  said,  Sleep 
on  noxv,  and  take  your  rest :  behold^  the  hour  is  at  hand, 
and  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  sin- 
ners. jRise^  let  us  be  going  '■  beholdy  he  is  at  fiand  tlmt 
doth  betray  me. 

The  owner  of  the  garden,  it  seems  where  he  now 
was,  had  been  our  Lord's  acquaintance,  perhaps  his  dis- 
ciple, who  believing  on  him,  considered  himself  as 
highly  honoured  in  Jesus' s  frequenting  it,  for  the  sake 
of  retirement  or  devotion,  and  therefore,  had  given  him 
the  free  use  of  it  whenever  he  pleased.     We  are  told 
that  Judas  knew  the  place  ;  for  Jesus  of  times  resorted 
thither^  vAth  his  disciples.     The  chief  priests  and  el- 
ders being  informed  by  Judas,  that  the  proper  time  for 
apprehending  Jesus  was  now  come,  sent  a  band  of  soU, 
djers  with  him,  and  servants  carrying  lanterns  and  toi'ch- 
cs,  to  shew  them  the  way;  because,  though  it  was  al- 
ways full  moon  at  the  passover,  the  sky  might  be  daik 
with  clouds,  and  the  place  Vi^hither  they  were  going  was 
shaded  v.  ith  trees  :  at  the   same  time,  a  deputation  of 
their  number  accompanied  the  band,  to  see  that  every 
one  did  his  duty.     Judas  having  thus  received  a  band 
of  men  and  officers  from  the  chief  priests  and  Phari- 
sees, Cometh  thither  with  lanterns  and  torches,  and 
weapons;  for  they  were  exceeding  anxious  to  secure 
and  get  him  into  their  hands,  and  the  soldiers  having 
perhaps  never  seen  Jesus  before,  found  it  necessary 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  JC 

that  Judas  should  distinguish  him,  and  point  him  out 
to  them  by  some  particular  sign.  St.  Luke  seems  to 
say,  that  Judas  went  before  them  at  a  little  distance,  to 
prepare  them  for  the  readier  execution  of  their  ofRce, 
by  kissing  his  Master,  the  token  they  had  agreed  upon, 
that  they  might  not  mistake  him,  and  seize  a  wrong- 
person  :  ^nd  he  that  xvcis  called  Judas ^  one  of  the  twelve^ 
went  before  them,  and  drew  near  unto  Jesus,  to  kiss 
'him.  Nor  can  the  account  which  St.  John  has  given 
us,  be  understood  on  any  other  supposition,  who  says, 
that  after  Judas  was  come  up  with  the  soldiers,  Jesus 
went  out  of  the  garden,  and  asked  them,  who  it  was 
they  were  seeking?  To  which  they  replied  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  It  therefore  follows,  that  they  were  at  a  loss 
to  know  him,  which  they  could  not  have  been,  had  they 
seen  Judas  kiss  him:  the  kiss,  therefore,  must  have 
been  given  in  the  garden  before  the  band  came  up ;  nor 
is  their  agreement  about  the  sign  inconsistent  with  this 
supposition;  because  that  confusion  w^hich  commonl}- 
attends  the  commission  of  an  evil  action,  might  pre- 
vent Judas  from  giving  the  sign  at  the  proper  season. 
He  went  before  the  soldiers,  on  pretence  that  he  would 
lead  them  to  the  place,  and  shew  them  the  man  by  kiss- 
ing him ;  however,  to  conceal  his  villainy  from  his 
Master  and  the  disciples,  he  walked  hastily,  and  v/ith- 
out  waiting  for  the  band,  went  up  directly  and  saluted 
him ;  feigning,  perhaps,  to  apprize  him  of  his  danger. 
But  Jesus  did  not  fail  to  convince  him  that  he  knew 
the  meaning  and  intent  of  his  salutation,  saying,  ]3e- 
trayest  thou  the  Son  of  man  with  a  Mss?  Judas  cer- 
tainly concealed  his  treachery  so  well,  that  Peter  did 
not  suspect  him,  as  it  is  probable,  he  would  have  struck 
at  him  rather  than  at  Malchus,  the  high-priest's  servant, 
if  he  had. 

Our  Lord's  appointed  time  for  suffering  being  now 
came,  he  did  not  as  formerly,  avoid  his  enemies  ;  but 
on  the  contrary,  on  their  telling  him  they  sought  Je- 
sus of  Nazareth,  he  replied.  Jam  he :  thereby  insinii- 
•Tting  to  them,  that  he  was  willing  to  put  liirasvlf  ivXi^ 


^i  i^EW  AND  COMPLETE 

liicir  hands  :  at  the  same  time  to  shew  them  that  they 
could  not  apj:)rcl>end  him  without  his  own  consent,  he 
in  an  extraordinary  manner,  exerted  his  divine  po\VTer, 
ke  made  the  \a  liole  band  fall  back,  and  threw  them  to 
rlie  ground  :  Jesus,  therefore,  knowing  oil  things  that 
should  come  upon  Jiim,  ivent  forth,  and  said  unto  them, 
Wliom  seek  ye  ?  They  answered  hbn,  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth. Jesus  saith  unto  them,  I  am  he.  And  Judas  also, 
zvhieh  betrayed  him,  stood  with  them.  As  soon  then 
as  he  had  said  unto  them,  I  am  he,  they  went  back- 
ward, and  fell  to  the  ground.  But  the  soldiers  and  the 
Jews  imagining,  perhaps,  that  they  had  been  thrown 
down  by  some  deemon  or  evil  spirit,  with  whom  the 
die  Jevv's  said  he  was  in  confederacy,  advanced  towards 
him  a  second  time  :  Theri  asked  he  them  again.  Whom 
seek  ye  ?  And  they  said  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Jesus  an- 
swered, I  have  told  you,  that  lam  he  ;  expressing  again 
his  willingness  to  fall  into  their  hands  :  If  therefore  ye 
,ieek  me,  let  these  go  their  way.  If  your  business  be 
\\  ith  me  alone,  suffer  my  disciples  to  pass  :  for  the 
party  had  sun^ounded  them  also.  He  seems  to  have 
made  this  request  to  the  soldiers,  tlmt  the  saying  might 
be  fulfilled  which  he  spake,  Of  them  xvhich  thou  gavest 
me  have  I  lost  none.  For  as  he  always  proportions  the 
iriiils  of  lus  people  to  their  strength  ;  so  here  he  took 
care  that  the  disciples  should  escape  the  storm,  which 
none  but  himself  could  bear. 

Some  of  the  soldiers,  more  daring  than  the  rest,  at 
Icncilh  rudelv  cauQ'ht  Jesus,  and  bound  him:  uDon 
\vhicl)  Peter  drew  his  sword,  and  smote  off  the  ear  of 
the  high-priest's  servants,  who  probably  was  shewing 
greater  forwardness  than  the  rest  in  this  business  : 
77ien  Simon  Peter,  having  a  sword,  drew  it,  and  smote 
the  high-priesfs  servant,  and  cut  ojf  his  right  ear  ;  the 
servants  name  was  Malchus.  The  enrap-ed  apostle 
was  on  the  point  of  singly  attacking  the  whole  band, 
\vhen  Jesus  ordered  him  to  sheath  his  sword,- telling 
him,  that  his  unseasonable  and  imprudent  defence 
tnight  prove  the  occasion  of  his  destruction  :     They\ 


L1F£  of  CHRIST.  1.; 

^'aid  Jesus  unto  him^  put  up  agdin  thy  sxvorcl  Into  its 
place ;  for  all  they  that  take  the  sivord^  shall  purisk 
with  the  sword.  He  told  him  likewise,  that  it  implied 
both  a  distrust  of  the  Divine  Providence,  which  ciiu 
always  employ  a- variety  of  means  for  the  safety  of 
good  men,   and  also  his  ignorance  in  the  Scriptures  : 

Thinkest  thou^  said  he,  that  I  cannot  %ow  pray  to  my 
Father^  and  he  shall  presently  give  me  more  than  twelve 
legions  of  ajigels  ?  But  how  then  shall  the  Scriptures 
he  fidfilled^  that  thus  it  must  be  ?  Matt.  xxvi.  S2>^  S4. 

Legion  was  a  Roman  military  term,  being  the  name 
W^hich  they  gave  to  a  body  of  five  or  six  thousand  men  : 
Avherefore,  in  regard  that  the  band  which  now  sur- 
rounded them,  was  a  Roman  cohort,  our  Lord  might 
make  use  of  this  term  by  way  of  contrast,  to  shew  what 
an  inconsiderable  thing  the  cohort  was,  in  comparison 
of  the  force  he  could  summon  to  his  assistimce  ;  more 
than  twelve  legions,  not  of  soldiers,  but  of  angels.  He 
yet  was  tenderly  inclined  to  prevent  any  bad  conse- 
quences, which  might  have  flowed  from  Peter's  rash- 
ness, by  healing  the  servant,  and  adding,  in  his  rebuke 
to  him,  a  declaration  of  his  willingness  to  suffer  :  The 
cup  which  my  Father  hat  J i  given  mCj  shall  I  not  drink 
it  ? 

Our  Lord's  healing  the  ear^of  Malchus,  by  touchi no- 
it,  seems  to  imply,  that  he  created  a  new  one  in  thi 
place  of  that  which  was  cut  off;  but  though  he  per- 
formed the  cure  some  other  way,  it  equally  demon- 
strates both  his  goodness  and  his  povvcr.  No  wound 
or  distemper  was  incurable  in  the  hand  of  Jesus  ;  nci 
ther  was  any  injury  so  great  tliat  he  could  notforgivt.  - 
It  seems  somewhat  surprising  that  this  evident  m.iraclr 
did  not  make  an  impression  upon  the  chief  priests,  es^ 
pecially  as  our  Lord  put  them  in  mind,  at  the  same  timr 
of  his  other  miracles;  for  having  first  said,  Suffer  yc 
thus  far  ;  and  he  touched  his  ear^  and  healed  him:  he: 
added.  Be  ye  come  out^  as  against  a  tJiief  xvitli  sivord-. 
and  staves  ?  When  I  was  daily  with  you  in  tJie  tempic. 


U.  ^'S-EW  AND  COMPLETE 

ijc  stretcJicd  jhrtJi  no  hands  against  me:  but  this  U 
your  hour,  and  the  power  of  darkness.  Luke  xxii.  51, 
52,  S3.  They  had  kept  at  a  distance  during  the  attack 
but  drew  near,  when  they  understood  that  Jesus,  was 
in  their  power ;  for  they  were  proof  against  all  con- 
viction, being  obstinately  bent  on  putting  him  to 
death.  And  the  disciples  when  they  saw  their  Master 
in  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  forsook  him  and  fled,  ac- 
cording to  his  prediction  ;  notwithstanding  they  might 
ha^e  followed  him  without  any  danger,  as  the  priests 
had  no  design  against  them  :  Then  all  the  disciples  for- 
sook him,  and  fled.  Then  the  band,  and  the  captain 
and  officers  of  the  Jews  took  Jesits  and  bound  him.  But 
it  was  not  the  cord  which  held  him  ;  his  immense  char- 
ity  was  by  a  far  stronger  band ;  he  could,  with  more 
ease  than  Sampson,  liave  broken  those  weak  ties,  and 
exerted  his  divinity  in  a  more  wonderful  manner ;  he 
could  have  stricken  them  all  dead,  with  as  much  ease 
as  he  had  before  thrown  them  on  the  ground  :  but  he 
patiently  submitted  to  this,  as  to  every  other  indignity 
which  they  pleased  to  offer  him  ;  so  meek  was  he  un- 
der  the  greatest  injuries.  Having  thus  secured  him, 
they  led  him  away  :  And  there  followed  him  a  certain 
young  man,  having  a  linen  cloth  cast  about  his  naked 
body ;  and  the  young  man  laid  hold  on  him  :  and  he  left 
the  linen  cloth,  and  fled  from  them  naked.  This,  per- 
haps, was  the  proprietor  of  the  garden  ;  who  being 
awakened  with  the  noise,  came  out  with  the  linen  cloth, 
in  which  he  had  been  lying,  cast  around  his  naked  bo- 
dy ;  and  forgetting  the  dress  he  was  in,  and  having  a. 
respect  for  Jesus,  followed  him. 

He  was  first  led  to  Arenas,  father-in-law  of  Caiaplias 
who  was  high-priest  that  year.  Annas  having  himself 
discharged  tlic  office  of  high-priest,  was  consequently  a 
person  of  distinguished  character,  which,  together  with 
his  relation  to  the  high-priest,  made  him  worthy  of  the 
respect  they  now  paid  him  ;  but  he  refused  singly  to 
meddle  in  the  affair;  they,  therefore,  carried  Jesus  to 
Caiaphashmiself,  at  whose  palace  the  chief  priests,  el- 


i.lFE  OF  CHRIST.  17 

ders,  and  Scribes  were  assembled,  liaving  staid  tliere 
♦  all  night  to  see  the  issue  of  their  stratagem.  This  Ca  • 
iphas  was  he  that  advised  the  council  to  put  Jesug  to 
death,  e^en  admitting  he  was  innocent,  for  the  safety 
of  the  whole  Jewish  nation.  He  was  advanced  to  the 
sacerdotal  dignity  by  Valerius  Gratus,  Pilate's  prede- 
cessor, and  was  divested  of  it  by  Vitellius,  governor  of 
^)Tia,  after  he  had  deposed  Pilate  from  his  procurator- 
ship ;  and  therefore  seems  to  have  enjoyed  it  durinir 
the  whole  course  of  Pilate's  government. 


V 


or..  JK 


13  ''^'EW  AND  COMPLETE 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Peter  thrice  denies  his  having  any  Knowledge  qf]Esus ; 
but  on  his  hoRD^s  turning  and  looking  on  him^  he  re- 
pent eth, 

JL  HE  trial  of  our  blessed  Lord  in  the  high-priest'ef 
palace,  and  Peter's  denying  him,  being  cotemporary 
events,  might  be  repeated  by  the  evangelical  historians 
according  to  their  pleasure.  The  evangelists  Matthew 
and  Mark  describe  the  trial  first,  as  it  is  the  principal 
fact ;  but  Luke  after  the  denials  of  Peter.  John  has 
preserved  the  natural  order  here  ;  for  he  begins  with 
the  first  denial,  because  it  happened  immediately  after 
Peter  entered  the  palace,  then  giVes  the  history  of  the 
trial  as  the  principal  fact,  concluding  with  the  subse- 
quent denials.  But  though  this  be  the  natural  order, 
we  shall  view  the  denials  together,  previous  to  the  trial^^ 
in  order  to  form  a  better  idea  of  them. 

When  Jesus  was  apprehended,  the  apostles,  in  great 
consternation,  forsook  him,  and  fled,  according  to  the 
prediction  concerning  them  :  some  of  them,  however, 
recovering  out  of  the  panic  that  had  seized  them,  fol- 
lowed the  band  at  a  distance,  to  see  what  the  issue 
would  be.  Of  this  number  was  Peter,  and  another  dis- 
ciple, whom  John  has  mentioned,  without  giving  his 
name,  and  who,  therefore,  is  supposed  to  have  been 
John  himself.  This  disciple  being  acquainted  at  the 
high-priest- s,  got  admittance  for  himself  first,  and  soon 
after  lor  Peter,  who  had  come  with  him  ;  And  Simon 
Peter  foUoivcd  Jesus,  and  so  did  another  disciple :  that 
disciple  was  known  unto  the  high-priest,  and  went  in 
icith  Jesus  into  the  palace  of  the  high-priest.  But  Pe^ 
ter  stood  at  the  door  xvithout.  Then  went  out  that  other 
disciple,  and  spake  unto  her  that  kept  the  door,  and 
brought  in  Peter.  And  xvhen  t.Iieij  had  kindled  afire 
in  the  midst  of  the  hall,  and  ivere  set  down  together^ 
Pctc^'  sat  down  amons,  them.     The  maid  servant  who 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  i9 

kept  the  door,  concluding  Peter  to  be  a  disciple  also, 
followed  after  him  to  the  fire,  and  looking  earnestly  at 
him,  charged  him  with  the  supposed  crime  ;  Y'/ieii  sailh 
the  damsel  that  kept  the  door  unto  Peter,  Art  not 
thou  also  one  of  this  man's  disciples  F  This  blunt  attack 
threw  Peter  into  such  confusion,  tjiat  he  flatly  denied 
his  having  any  connection  with  Jesus,  replying,  /  a?n 
^oty  and  adding,  /  ktioit  not,  neither  understand  I  zvhat 
thou  saijest.  As  if  he  had  said,  I  do  not  understand 
there  is  any  reason  for  your  asking  me  such  a  question. 
Thus,  the  very  apostle  who  had  before  acknowledged 
his  Master  to  be  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of  the  Living- 
God,  who  was  honoured  with  the  keys  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  and  had  so  confidently  boasted  of  fortitude, 
and  firm  attachment  to  him  in  the  greatest  dangers, 
proved  an  arrant  deserter  of  his  cause  upon  trial.  His 
shameful  fears  were  altogether  inexcusable,  as  the  ene- 
my w^ho  attacked  him  was  one  of  the  weaker  sex,  and 
the  terror  of  the  charge  was,  in  a  great  measure,  taken 
off  by  the  insinuation  made  in  it,  that  John  was  like- 
wise known  to  be  Christ's  disciple;  for,  as  he  was 
known  at  the  high-priest's,  he  was  consequently  known 
in  that  character :  Art  thou  not  also  one  of  this  vuni's 
disciples  ?  Art  thou  not  one  of  them  as  well  as  he  who 
is  sitting  witli  you  ?  Equivocation,  mental  reservation, 
and  such  like  base  arts,  are  below  the  dignity  and  cour- 
age of  reasonable  creatures  ;  but  downright  lying,  an(J 
that  in  the  presence  of  John  his  fellow-disciple,  is  abo- 
minable, and  can  only  be  accounted  for,  by  the  confu- 
sion and  panic  which  had  seized  him  on  this  occasion. 
As  Peter's  inward  perturbation  must  have  appeared  in 
his  countenance  and  gesture,  he  did  not  choose  to  stay 
long  with  the  servants  at  the  fire  ;  he  went  out,  there- 
fore, into  the  porch,  where  he  was  a  little  concealed  : 
And  he  went  out  into  the  porch,  and  the  cock  crew, 
namely,  for  the  first  time.  And  the  maid  saw  hivi 
again,  and  began  to  say  to  them  that  stood  by.  This  is 
one  of  them  ;  and  he  again  denied  it  zvith  an  oath^  I 
know  not  the  man  :  thus  aggravating  his  former  crim<^ 
by  that  of  perjury. 


20  IfeNEW  AND  COMPLETE 


Peter  havingbcen  thus  attacked  without  doors,  thought : 
proper  to  return  and  mix  with  the  crowd  at  the  fire  : 
J?id  Simon   Peter  stood  and  ivmnned  himself.     From 
this  circumstance,  we  may  conclude,,  that  the  ensuing 
was  the  third  denial;  and  that  Peter  left  the  porch 
where  the  second  denial  happened,  and  was  come  again 
into  the  hall :   Ilei^e  one  of  the  servants  of  the  higli- 
priesty   being  his   kinsman   tvhose  ear  Peter  cut  off^ 
saith.  Bid  not  I  see  thee  in  the  garden  ivith  him  F  Pe- 
ter then  denied  again, 'and  immediately  the  cock  crew. 
The  words  of  Malchus's  kinsman,   bringing  to  Peter's 
remembrance  v/hat  he  had  done  to  that  servant,  threw 
him  into  such  a  panic,  that  when  those  who  stood  by 
repeated  the  chai'ge,  he  impudently  denied  it ;  He  even 
began  to  curse  and  to  swear,  sayings  I  know  not   this 
':nan  of  ivhom  ye  speak.     For  when  they  heard  Peter 
deny  the   charge,  they  supported  it  by  an  argument 
drawn  from  the  accent  with  which  he  pronounced  his 
answer.     Surely,  thou  art  one  of  them,  for  thou  art  a 
Galilean,  and  thy  speech  agreeth  thereto  ;  so  that,  be- 
ing pressed  on  all  sides,  to  give  his  lie  the  better  colour 
he  profaned  the  name  of  God,  by  in;iprecating  the  bit- 
terest curses  on  himself,  if  he  was  telling  a  falsehood  : 
perhaps,  he  hoped,  by  these  acts  of  impiety,  to  convince 

them  effectually,  that  he  was  not  Christ's  disciple. 

This  zealous  apostle  thus  denied  his  Master  three 
distinct  times,  with  oaths  and  asser\'ations,  totally  for- 
getting the  A'ehement  protestations  he  had  made  a  few 
hours  before,  that  he  ^vould  never  deny  him.    ^He  was 
permitted  to  fall  in  this  manner,  to  teach  us  two  les- 
sons :  the  first,  that  whatever  a  person's  attainments 
might  ha\  e  been  formerly,  if  once  he  passes  the  bounds 
of  innocence,   he   commonly  proceeds  from   bad  to 
^vorse,  one  sin  naturally  draws  on  another ;  for  which 
reason,  the  very  least  appearances  of  evil  are  to  be  avoid- 
ed, and  the  greatest  humility  and  self-diffidence  main- 
tained :  in  the  second  place,  ^\'e  may  learn,  that  no  sin- 
ner who  repents,  and  has  coniidence  in  the  goodness  of 
God,  should  ever  despair  :  for  he  no  sooner  denied  hi^ 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.         |^  SI 

Master  the  third  time,  than  the  cock  crew,  and  awaken- 
ed in  him  the  lirst  conviction  of  his  sin  :  And  the  Lord 
turned  and  looked  upon  Peter.  And  Peter  remembered 
the  word  of  the  Lord,  how  he  had  said  unto  him.  Be- 
fore the  cock  crow,  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice.     And 
Peter  zvent  out,,  and  wept   bitterly.     St.  Luke  is  the 
only  evangelist  who  has  preserved  this  beautiful  circum- 
stance of  Christ's  turning  and  looking  on  Peten  The 
members  of  the  council  who  sat  on  Jesus,  were  placed 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  hall ;  in  the  other,  were  the  ser- 
vants with  Peter  at  the  fire  :  so  that  Jesus  being  pro- 
bably  placed  on  some  eminence,  that  his  judges,  who 
were  numerous,  might  see  and  hear  him,  could  easih' 
look  over  towards   Peter,  and  observe   him  denying 
him,  and  in  passionate  terms,  loud  enough  to  be  heard 
perhaps,  over  all  the  place.     The  look  pierced  him, 
and,  with  the  crowing  of  the  cock,  brought  Ixjs  Master's 
prediction  fresh  into  his  mind.     He  was  stung  with 
deep  remorse  ;  and,  being  unable  to  contain  himsell', 
he  covered  his  face  with  his  garment  to  conceal  the 
confusion  he  was  in,  and  going  out  into  the  porch  wept 
very  bitterly.     All  this  passed  while  the  priests  exam- 
ined Jesus  with  many  taunts  and  revilings  ;  and  while, 
tlie  most  zealous  of  Christ's   disciples  was  denying 
him  with  oaths  and  imprecations,  the  others  insulted 
him  in  the  most  inhuman  manner.     Thus  a  complica- 
tion of  injuries,  insults,  and  indignities,  was  at  one  time 
heaped  upon  the  blessed  Redeemer,  the  meek  and  mild 
Jesus,  the  suffering  and  wonderfully  patient  Son  of  the 
adorable  Majesty  of  heaven. 


22  jfe;,NEW  AN.D  COMPLETE 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

*Fhe  Trial  of  liL%xi%   before  the  Sajihedrim^  nr  grarid 
Council  of  the  Jews. 

A.  HE  band  of  soldiers  having  seized  Jesus,  led  him 
to  the  high-priest's  house,  where  all  the  chief  priests, 
the  Scribes,  and  the  elders  were  assembled :  And  as  soon 
as  it  xvas  day^  the  elders  of  the  people^  and  the  chief 
priests^  and  the  Scribes,  came  together,  and  led  him  in- 
fo their  coiinciL  Probably  the  trial  did  not  begin  im- 
mediately on  our  Lord's  arrival ;  for  though  many  of 
the  judges  were  at  the  high-priest's  before  him,  some 
persons  of  distinction  might  be  absent,  whose  coming, 
the  rest  were,  out  of  respect,  inclined  to  wait  for :  but, 
as  the  passover  was  at  hand,  they  had  no  time  to  lose  \ 
so  that  as  soon  as  the  council  was  fully  met,  the  trial 
was  begun:  And  tJie  high -priest  asked  Jesus  of  his  dis- 
ciples, and  of  his  doctrine.  He  enquired  of  him  what 
his  disciples  were,  for  what  end  he  had  gathered  them, 
Avhether  it  was  to  make  himself  a  king,  and  what  the 
doctrine  was  which  he  taught  them?  In  these  questions 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  art;  for  as  the  crime  laid  to 
our  Saviour's  charge  was,  that  he  had  set  up  for  the 
Messiah,  and  deluded  the  people,  they  expected  he 
would  claim  that  dignity  in  their  presence,  and  so  would 
on  his  own  confession  have  condemned  him,  without 
any  further  process.  This  was  unfair,  as  it  was  artful 
and  ensnaring :  to  oblige  a  prisojtier  on  his  trial  to  con^ 
fess  what  might  take  away  his  life,  was  a  very  inequita- 
ble method  of  proceeding;  and  Jesus  expressed  his 
opinion  thereof  with  very  good  reason,  and  complained 
of  It,  bidding  them  prove  \vhat  they  had  laid  to  his 
charge  by  witnesses:  Jesus  anszcered  him,  I  spake 
openly  to  the  ivorld;  I  ever  taught  in  the  syiiagogue, 
and  in  the  temple,  whither  tJie  Jews  always  resort  ^  and 
in  secret  have  I  said  nothing.  WInj  askest  thou  vie? 
Ask  them  ivhich  heard  me,  what  I  have  said  unto  them : 
behof4  thcv  know  what  I  said.     It  wets  greatlv  to  th^ 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  2?? 

Iit)iioiir  of  our  blessed  Redeemer,  diat  all  his  actions 
were  done  in  public,  under  die  eye  even  of  his  ene- 
mies; because,  had  he  been  carrying  on  any  imposture, 
the  lovers  of  goodness  and  truth  had  thus  aJDundant 
opportunities  of  detecthig  him  with  propriety :  he 
therefore,  in  his  defence,  appealed  to  that  part  of  hiei 
chai'acter ;  yet  his  answer  was  construed  disrespectful : 
for,  wli€7i  he  had  thus  spoken,  07ie  of  the  officers  which 
stood  by,  struck  Jesus  with  the  palm  of  his  hand,  say- 
ing, Answerest  thou  the  high-priest  so?  To  which  he 
meekly  replied  with  the  greatest  serenity.  If  I  have 
spoken  evil,  hear  ivitness  of  the  evil :  but  if  zvell,  zvhj 
sniitcst  thou  me  f  Shew  me,  prove  before  this  court, 
wherein  my  crime  consists,  or  record  it  in  the  evidence 
on  the  face  of  my  trial ;  which  if  thou  cannot,  how  can 
thou  answer  this  inhuman  treatment  to  a  defenceless 
prisoner,  standing  on  his  trial  before  the  world,,  and  in 
open  court,  and  strike  me  undeservedly  ? 

In  this  instance  Jesus  became  an  example  of  his  own 
precept;  and  if  a  man  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheelr, 
turn  to  him  the  other  also.  Matt.  v.  39,  bearing  the 
greatest  injuries  with  an  unprovoked  patience,  worthy 
of  the  meek  Lamb  of  God. 

Jesus  having  declined  answering  the  questions,  where- 
by the  council  expected  to  have  drawn  from  him  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  his  being  the  Messiah,  they  proceed- 
ed to  examine  many  v/itnesses  to  prove  his  having  as- 
sumed that  character;  as  they  considered  such  a  pre- 
tension as  blasphemy  in  his  mouth,  who  being  only  a 
man  according  to  their  opinion,  could  not,  without  the 
highest  affront  to  the  Divine  Majest}'-,  pretend  to  the 
title  of  the  Son  of  God,  as  it  belonged  only  to  the  Mes- 
siah. But  in  this  examination  they  acted  like  interest- 
ed and  enraged  persecutors,  rather  than  impartial  judges, 
forming  their  questions  in  the  most  artful  manner,  in 
order,  if  possible,  to  draw  expressions  from  them  which 
they  might  pervert  into  suspicions  of  guilt,  as  some 
foundation  for  eondemning  Jesus,  who  had  so  long  and 


S4  ■'"    NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

faithfully  laboured  for  their  salvation.  Their  witnesses 
however,  disappointed  them,  some  of  them  disagreeing 
in  their  story,  and  others  mentioning  things  of  no  man- 
ner of  importance. 

At  last,  two  persons  agreed  in  their  depositions,  name 
ly,  in  hearing  him  say,  that  he  was  able  to  destroy  the 
temple  of  God,  and  to  raise  it  in  three  days.  But  this  tes- 
timony was  absolutely  false;  for  our  great  Redeemer 
never  said  he  could  destroy  and  build  the  temple  of  Je- 
rusalem in  three  days,  as  they  affirmed.  It  is  true,  that 
after  banishing  the  traders  from  the  temple,  when  the 
Jews  desired  to  know  by  what  authority  he  undertook 
to  make  such  a  reformation,  he  referred  them  to  the  mi- 
racle of  his  resurrection?  saying.  Destroy  this  Temple. 
(pointing  probably  to  his  body)  and  in  three  days  I 
ivill  raise  it  up.  The  witnesses,  therefore,  either 
through  malice  or  ignorance  perverted  his  answer  into 
an  affirmation,  that  he  was  able  to  destroy,  and  build 
the  magnificent  temple  of  Jerusalem  in  three  days:  and 
the  judges  considering  that  such  an  act  could  only  be 
performed  by  Divine  Power,  interpreted  his  assertion 
•as  blasphemy. 

Our  Saviour,  during  the  whole  time,  made  no  reply 
to  the  evidences  that  were  produced  against  him,  which 
greatly  provoked  the  high-priest,  who,  supposing  that 
lie  intended  by  his  silence,  to  put  an  affront  on  the  coun- 
cil, rose  from  his  scat,  and  with  great  perturbation,  de- 
manded the  reason  of  so  remarkable  a  conduct:  An- 
swerest  thou  nothing,  said  he,  what  is  it  which  these 
witness  against  thee?  And  some  of  the  council  added, 
Art  thcu  the  Christ?  To  which  our  blessed  Saviour 
ans^\ered,  If  I  should  tell  jou  plainly,  you  w^ould  not  be- 
lie\'C  me ;  and  if  I  should  demonstrate  it  to  you  by  the 
most  e\'ident  and  undeniable  arguments,  ye  would  nei- 
ther be  convinced  nor  release  me. 

After  these  things,  the  high- priest  finding  it  impos- 
sible to  ensnare  Jesus,  and  being  desirous  of  rendering 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  f  2S 

the  trial  as  short  as  possible,  said  to  him,  I  adjure  thee 
solemnly,  by  the  dreadiul  and  tremendous  name  of" 
God,  in  whose  presence  thou  standeth,  that  thou  tell 
us  plainly  and  truly,  whether  thou  art  the  Messiah,  the 
Son  of  God?  This  question  was  artfully  contrived;  for, 
if  Jesus  should  answer  it  in  the  affirmative,  they  were 
ready  to  condemn  him  as  a  blasphemer  ;  if  in  tlie  neg- 
ative, they  intended  to  punish  him  as  an  impostor,  v/ho 
had  deceived  the  people  by  accepting  from  them  the 
honours  and  titles  of  the  Messiali. 

The  blessed  Jesus  was  not,  howe^^er,  intimidated  by 
the  consequence  attending  his  confession  of  the  truth, 
for  being  adjured  by  the  chief  magistrate,  he  immedi- 
ately confessed  the  charge,  adding,  ye  shall  shortly  see 
a  convincing  evidence  of  this  truth,  in  that  wonderful 
and  unparalelled  destruction  \vhich  1  will  send  upon  the 
Jewish  nation;  in  the  quick  and  powerful  progress 
which  the  gospel  shall  make  over  the  earth ;  and  finally 
in  my  glorious  appearance  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  at 
the  last  day,  the  sign  you  have  so  often  demanded  iu 
confirmation  of  my  being  sent  from  God. 

This  answer  of  our  blessed  Saviour's,  caused  a  num- 
ber of  them  to  cry  out  at  once,  as  astonished  at  the 
supposed  blasphemy.  Art  thou  the  Son  of  God?  To 
which  our  great  Redeemer  replied,  Ye  say  that  I  am  : 
a  manner  of  speaking  among  the  Jews,  which  express- 
ed a  plain  and  strong  afiirmation. 

The  high-priest,  on  heaiing  this  second  assertion, 
rent  his  clothes  with  great  indignation,  and  said  unto 
the  council  J  Why  need  we  trouble  ourselves  to  seek 
jbr  any  more  witnesses?  Ye  yourselves,  nay,  this  whole 
assembly,  ai'e  witnesses  that  he  hath  spoken  manifest 
and  notorious  blasphemy ;  what  think  ye  ?  To  which 
they  all  replied,  that,  for  assuming  to  himself  the 
character  of  the  Messidi,  he  deserved  to  l>c  put  to 
death. 

VOL.  ii.  p 


2d  KEW  and  complete 

llie  servants  and  common  people  then  began  to  fall 
upon  him  as  a  man  already  condemned;  spitting  upon 
him,  bufFetting  him,  and  oftering  him  all  manner  of 
rudeness  and  indignities;  they  blindfolded  him,  and 
3ome  of  the  council,  in  order  to  ridicule  him  for  having 
pretended  to  be  the  great  Prophet,  bid  him  exercise  his 
prophetical  gift,  in  declaring  by  whom  he  was  smitten. 
Surely  those  miscreants  could  hardly  invent  any  thing 
more  expressive  of  the  contempt  in  which  they  held 
our  great  Redeemer's  pretensions  to  the  Messiah. 

Thus  was  the  great  Judge  of  all  the  earth  placed  at 
the  bar  of  frail  mortals,  falsely  accused  by  the  witness- 
es, unjustly  condemned  by  his  judges,  and  barbarous- 
ly  insulted  by  all  Yet,  because  it  was  agreeable  to  the 
end  of  his  coming,  he  patiently  submitted,  though  he 
could  with  a  frown,  have  made  his  judges,  his  accus- 
ers, and  those  who  had  him  in  custody,  to  expire  in  a 
moment,  or  utterly  dwindle  aw  aye 


LIFE  OF  CKRiSTo 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


Jesus  is  led  before  Pilate:  Judas  relents y  carries  back 

the  Money ^  and  hangs  himself:  The  Governor  re- 

fuses  to  judge  our  blessed  Saviour ^  declares  him  i?!- 

nocent,  and  sends  him  to  Herod;  who^  after  Jiearing 

his  Accusers,  sends  him  back  again, 

JL  HE  Saviour  of  the  world,  whom  the  whole  Jewish 
nation,  had  so  long  expected,  having  been  thus  con- 
demned by  the  Sanhedrim,  they  consulted  together^ 
and  resolved  to  carry  him  before  the  governor,  that  he 
might  likewise  pass  sentence  on  him.  The  Roman  gov- 
ernors of  Judea,  generally  lesided  at  Ca^sarea;  but  at 
the  great  feasts  th^  came  up  to  Jerusalem  to  prevent  or 
suppress  tumults,  and  to  administer  justice:  it  being  a 
custom  for  the  Roman  governors  of  provinces,  to  visit 
the  principal  towns  under  their  jurisdiction  on  this  lat- 
ter account.  Pilate,  being  accordingly  come  to  Jerusa- 
lem some  time  before  the  feast,  had  been  informed, 
probably  by  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  of  the  great  ferment 
amongst  the  rulers,  and  the  true  character  of  the  person 
on  whose  account  it  was  raised ;  for  he  entertained  a 
just  notion  of  it :  he  knew  that  for  envy  they  had  de- 
livered him.  He  knew  the  cause  of  their  envy,  was  im- 
pressed with  a  favourable  opinion  of  Jesus,  and  wished 
if  possible,  to  deliver  him  from  his  vile  persecutors, 
who  sought  to  put  him  to  death. 

The  Jewish  council  early  in  the  morning  brought  Je  ^ 
jrus  to  the  hall  of  judgment,  or  governor's  palace. 
They  themselves,  however,  went  not  into  the  hall,  but 
stood  without,  lest  they  should  be  rendered  incapable 
of  eating  the  passover,  by  being  deiiledo 

Judas  Iscariot,  who  had  delivered  his  Master  into  the 
hands  of  the  council,  finding  his  project  turned  out 
very  different  from  what  he  expected,  was  filled  with 
the  deepest  remorse  for  what  he  had  done,     l:[e  saw  all 


2^ 


>JEW  AND  COJVIPLETE 


his  golden  dreams  of  temporal  honours  and  advantages, 
sunk  at  once  to  nothing :  he  saw  his  kind,  his  indulgent 
Master  condemned,  and  forsaken  by  all  his  followers. 
He  saw  all  tliis,  and  determined  to  make  all  the  satisfac- 
tion in  his  power  for  the  crime  he  had  committed:  ac- 
cordingly, he  came  and  confessed  openly  his  sin  be- 
fore  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  offered  them  the  mo- 
ney they  had  given  him  to  commit  it,  and  earnestly 
wished  he  could  recal  the  fatal  transaction  of  the  pre- 
ceding night.  It  seems  he  thought  this  was  the  most 
public  testimony  he  could  possibly  give  of  his  Mas- 
ter's innocence,  and  his  own  repentance :  I  have,  said 
he,  committed  a  most  horrid  crime,  in  betray hig  an 
innocent  man  to  death.  But  this  moving  speech  oi 
Judas  had  no  effect  on  the  callous  hearts  of  the  Jewish 
rulers:  they  affirmed,  that  however  they  might  think 
the  prisoner  innocent,  and  for  that  reason  had  sinned  in 
brii^iging  the  sentence  of  death  upon  his  head,  they 
were  not  to  blame ;  because  they  knew  him  a  blasphe- 
mer, who  deserved  to  die:  What  is  that  to  us?  said 
they,  see  thou  to  that.  Nay,  they  even  refused  to  take 
back  the  money  they  had  given  him  as  a  reward  for  per- 
forming the  base  act  of  betraying  his  Master,  who  had 
deserved  from  him  the  best  of  treatment. 

Convinced  now,  that  it  was  not  in  his  power  to  as- 
sist his  Saviour,  Judas's  conscience,  being  stung  with 
remorse,  lashed  him  more  furiously  tJian  before,  sug- 
gesting thoughts,  which  by  tin-ns,  made  the  deepest 
wounds  in  his  soul.  The  innocence  and  benevolence 
of  his  Master,  the  many  favours  he  himself  had  receive 
ed  from  him,  and  the  many  kind  offices  he  had  done  for 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  affliction,  crowded  at  once 
into  his  mind,  and  rendered  his  torment  intolerable.  He 
was,  if  we  may  be  allowed  the  comparison,  like  one 
placed  on  the  brink  of  the  infernal  lake.  Racked  with 
these  agonizing  i)assions,  unable  to  support  the  misery, 
he  threw  do\vn  the  wages  of  his  iniquity  in  the  temple, 
and  confesshig  at  the  same  time  his  own  sin,  and  the  in- 
nocence   oi  his  Master^  went    away  ia  despair,   and 


LIVE  OF  CHRIST.  29 

hanged  himself.  Thus  perished  Judas  Iscariot,  the 
traitor,  a  miserable  example  of  the  fatal  influence  of  cov- 
etousness,  and  a  standing  monument  of  divine  ven- 
geance, to  deter  future  generations  from  acting  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  dictates  of  Conscience,  through  a  love  of 
the  things  of  this  world;  for  which  this  wretched  mor- 
tal betrayed  his  Master,  his  friend,  his  Saviour,  and  ac- 
cumulated such  a  load  of  guilt  on  himself  as  sunk  his 
soul  into  the  lowest  pit  of  anguish  and  despondenc}'. 
The  people  gathered  up  the  pieces  of  silver,  cast  down 
by  Judas,  and  delivered  them  to  the  priests,  who,  think- 
ing it  unlawful  to  put  them  into  the  treasury,  because 
they  were  the  wages  of  a  traitor,  agreed  to  lay  them 
out  in  purchasing  the  potter's  field,  and  to  make  it  a 
common  burial-place  for  strangers.  This  the  evange- 
list tells  us  was  done,  that  a  particular  prophecy  relating 
to  the  Messiah  might  be  fulfilled :  ^nd  tlieij  took  tJw 
thirty  pieces  of  silver^  the  price  of  him  that  was  vahied, 
and  gave  them  for  the  potter'' s  fields  as  the  Lord  ap- 
pointed me.  This  prophecy  is  found  in  Zachai'iah,  but 
by  a  mistake  of  some  copyist,  the  word  Jeremy  is  in 
serted  in  the  Greek  manuscripts  oS.  St.  jVIatthew's  gos- 
pel: unless  we  suppose  with  the  learned  Grotius,  that 
this  remarkable  prophecy  was  first  made  by  Jeremiah, 
and  afterwards  repeated  by  the  immediate  direction  of 
the  Spirit,  byZechariah;  and  that  therefore,  the  evan- 
gelist has  only  ascribed  the  prophecy  to  its  original  au- 
thor: but  however  this  be,  the  prophecy  is  remarkable, 
and  was  remarkably  fulfilled;  and  the  evangelist  puts  the 
truth  of  this  part  of  the  history  beyond  all  manner  of 
exception,  by  thus  appealing  to  a  public  transaction. 

We  have  before  remarked,  that  the  chief  priests  and 
elders  refused  to  go  themselves  into  the  judgment-hall, 
lest  they  should  contract  some  pollutions  in  the  house  of 
an  Headien,  Avhich  would  have  rendered  them  unfit  for 
eating  the  passover.  The  same  reason  also  hindered 
them  from  entering  the  governor's  palace  on  other  fes- 
tivals, Vv'hen  that  magistrate  attended  in  order  to  admin- 
ister justice  :  a  kind  of  structure  ^vas  therefore  erected> 


ikj  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

:adjoimng  to  the  palace,  which  served  instead  of  a  tri>' 
bunal  or  judgment-seat.  This  structure,  called  in  the 
Hebre^v  Gabatha,  was  finely  paved  with  small  pieces  of 
marble  of  different  colours  :  being  always  exposed  to 
the  weather.  Perhaps  it  resembled  a  stage,  but  larger, 
open  on  all  sides,  and  on  one  part  of  it  a  throne  was 
placed,  whereon  the  governor  sat  to  hear  causes.  One 
side  of  this  structure  joined  to  the  palace,  and  a  door 
was  made  in  the  wall,  through  which  the  governor  pass- 
ed to  his  tribunal.  By  this  contrivance,  the  peopld 
might  stand  round  the  tribunal  in  the  open  air,  hear  and 
see  the  governor  when  he  spake  to  them  from  the  pave- 
ment, and  observe  the  whole  administration  of  jus- 
tice, without  danger  of  being  defiled  either  by  him 
or  any  of  his  attendants. 

The  great  Redeemer  of  mankind  was  brought  be- 
fore this  tribunal :  and  the  priests  and  elders  having 
taken  their  places  around  the  pavement,  the  governor 
ascended  the  judgment- seat,  and  asked  them  what  ac- 
cusation they  brought  against  the  prisoner  ?  Though 
nothing  could  be  more  natural  than  for  the  governor 
to  ask  this  question,  yet  the  Jews  thought  themselves 
highly  affronted  by  it.  They  probably  knew  his  senti- 
ments  concerning  the  prisoner,  and  therefore  consider^ 
ed  his  question  as  intended  to  insinuate,  that  they 
brought  one  to  be  condemned,  against  whom  they 
could  find  no  accusation.  Pilate  inight  indeed  speak 
to  them  in  a  stern  manner,  and  by  that  means  sufii- 
ciently  indicate  his  displeasure  :  but,  however  that  be, 
the  Jews  haughtily  answered,  if  he  had  not  been  a  very 
great  and  extraordinary  malefactor;  we  should  not  have 
javen  tl>oe  this  trouble  at  all,  rnuch  less  at  so  unseason- 
able  an  hour  as  the  present. 

Jesus  was  then  examined  by  Pilate,  who  fi:nding  he 
had  not  been  guilty  either  of  rebellion  or  sedition,  but 
that  he  ^vas  accused  of  particulars  relating  to  the  reli- 
gion and  customs  of  the  Jews,  grew  angry,  and  said. 
\vh?.x  arc  these  things  to  me  ?  Take  him   yourselves^ 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  3i 

and  judge  him  according  to  your  own  law  :  plainly  in- 
sinuating, that  in  his  opinion,  the  crime  they  laid  to  the 
prisoner's  charge  was  not  of  a  capital  nature  ;  and  that 
such  punishnients  as  they  were  permitted  by  Caesar  to 
inflict,  were  adequate  to  any  misdemeanor  that  JKsuii 
was  charged  with.  But  this  proposal  of  the  Roman 
governor  was  absolutely  refused^by  the  Jewish  priests 
and  elders,  because  it  condemned  their  whole  proceeds 
ing,  and  therefore  they  answered,  We  have  no  power 
to  put  any  one  to  death,  as  this  man  certainly  deserves, 
who  has  attempted  not  only  to  make  innovations  in  our 
religion,  but  also  set  up  himself  for  a  king.  This  ea- 
gerness of  the  Jews  to  get  Jesus  condemned  by  the 
Roman  governor,  who  often  sentenced  malefactors  to 
be  crucified,  tended  to  fulfil  the  sayings  of  our  great 
Redeemer,  who  during  the  course  of  his  ministry,  has 
often  mentioned  what  kind  of  death  he  was  appointed 
to  die  by  the  pre -determination  of  the  Omnipresent 
Ood. 

As  Pilate  now  found  it  impossible  to  prevent  a  tu- 
mult, unless  he  proceeded  to  try  Jesus,  he   therefore 
ascended  again  the  judgment- seat,  and  commanded  his 
accusers  to   produce  their  charges  against  him.     Ac- 
cordingly they  accused  him  of  seditious  practices,  af- 
firming that  he  had  used  every  method  in  his  power  to 
dissuade  the  people  from  paying  taxes  to  Caesar,  pre- 
tending that  he  himself  was  the  Messiah,  the  great  king 
of  the  Jews,  so  long  expected  ,*  but  they  brought  no 
proof  of  this  assertion.     They  only  insinuated  that  they 
had  already  convicted  him  of  this  crime  ;  which  was 
absolutely  false,     Pilate,  however,  asked  him,  Is  it  true, 
what  these  men  lay  tp  thy  charge,  that  thou  hast  in- 
deed attempted  to  set  up  thyself  as  king  of  the  Jews  ? 
To  which  Jesus  replied,  hast  thou  ever  during  thy  stay 
in  this  province,  heard  any  thing  of  me  that  gave  thee 
any  reason  to  suspect  me  guilty  of  secret  practices  and 
seditious  designs  against  the  government?    Or  dost 
thou  found  thy  question  only  on  the  present  clamour 
and  tumult  that  is  raised  against  me  ?  If  this  be  the 


32  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

case,  be  very  careful  lest  thou  be  imposed  on  merely 
by  the  ambiguity  of  a  word ;  for,  to  be  King  of  the^ 
Jews,  is  not  to  erect  a  temporal  throne  in  opposition  to 
that  of  Cassar,  but  something  very  different  froni  it ; 
the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah  is  of  a  spiritual  nature. 

Pilate  replied,  am  Iga  Jew  ?  Can  I  tell  what  their  ex- 
pectations are,  and  in  what  superstitious  sense  they  un* 
derstand  these  words  ?  The  rulers  and  chiefs  of  their 
own  people,  we  are  the  most  proper  judges  of  these 
particulars,  have  brought  thee  before  me,  as  a  riotous 
and  seditious  person  ;  rf  this  be  not  the  truth,  let  me 
know  what  is,  and  the  crime  thou  hast  been  guilty 
of,  and  what  tj ley  lay  to  thy  charge. 

To  which  Jesus  answered,  I  have  indeed  a  king- 
dom, and  this  kingdom  I  have  professed  to  establish  ; 
but  then  it  is  not  of  this  world,  nor  have  my  endeavours 
to  establish  it  any  tendency  to  cause  disturbances  in 
the  government:  for,  had  that  been  the  case,  my  ser- 
vants would  have  fought  for  me,  and  not  suffered  me 
to  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Jews :  but  I  tell 
thee  plainly,  my  kingdom  is  wholy  spiritual,  consisting 
onl}^  in  the  obedience  of  the  wills  and  affections  of  men 
to  the  laws  of  God. 

Pilate  said,  thou  acknowiedgcst  then  in  general,  that 
thou  hast  pretended  to  be  a  king  ?  To  .which  the 
blessed  Jesus  replied.  In  the  sense  I  have  told  thee,  I 
have  declared  and  do  now  declare  myself  to  be  a  king : 
for  this  very  end  1  was  boni,  and  for  this  purpose  I  came 
into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear  witness  to  the  truth; 
and  whosoever  sincerely  loves,  and  is  always  ready  to 
embrace  the  truth,  will  hear  my  testimony  and  be  con- 
vinced by  it.  Pilate  said,  JFIiat  is  t?'uth  P  and  imme- 
diately went  out  to  the  Jews,, and  said  unto  them,  I  have 
again  examined  this  man,  but  can  find  him  guilty  of 
no  fault,  which,  according  to  the  Roman  law,  deserves 
to  have  the  punishment  of  death  inflicted  for  it. 


LIFE  OF  CIIUIST.  SS 

'Jf'hough  the  governor  made  this  generous  declaration 
of  the  innocence  of  our  blessed  Saviour,  it  had  no  ef- 
fect on  the  superstitious  and  bigoted  Jews  :  they  even 
persisted  in  their  accusations  with  more  vehemence 
than  before,  affirming  that  he  had  attempted  to  raise  a 
sedition  in  Galilee  :  He  stirred  up,  said  they,  the  peo- 
ple^ beginning  from  Galilee,  to  this  place.  Jesus,  how- 
ever,  made  no  answer  at  all  to  this  heavy  charge  ;  nay, 
he  continued  silent,  notwithstanding  the  governor  him^ 
self  expressly  required  him  to  speak  in  his  own  defence. 
A  conduct  so  extraordinary,  in  such  circumstances,  as- 
tonished Pilate  exceedingly  :  for  he  had  great  reason 
to  be  persuaded  of  the  innocence  of  our  dear  Redeemer. 
The  truth  is,  he  was  altogether  ignorant  of  the  divine 
council  bv  which  the  whole  affair  was  directed,  and  the 
<?nd  proposed  by  it.  , 

Many  reasons  induced  the  blessed  JEStfs  not  to  make 
a  public  defence.  He  came  into  the  world  purely  to 
redeem  lost  and  undone  mankind,  by  offering  up  himself 
a  sacrifice  to  appease  the  wrath  of  his  Almighty  Fa- 
ther :  but  had  he  pleaded  with  his  usual  force,  the  peo- 
pie  had,  in  all  probability,  been  induced  to  ask  his  re^ 
lease,  and  consequently  his  death  had  been  prevented : 
besides,  the  gross  falsehood  of  the  accusation  kno\vn  to 
all  the  inhabitants  of  Galilee,  rendered  any  reply  ab- 
solutely unnecessary. 

The  chief  priests  continued,  in  the  mean  time,  to 
•iccuse  him  with  great  noise  and  tumult :  the  meek 
and  humble  Jesus  still  continuing  mute,  Pilate  spake 
again  to  him,  saying,  Wilt  thou  continue  to  make  no 
defence  ?  Dost  thou  not  hear  how  vehemently  these 
men  accuse  thee  ?  But  Pilate  recollecting  what  the 
chief  priests  had  said  with  regard  to  a  sedition  in  Gal- 
ilee, asked  if  Jesus  came  out  of  that  country  ;  and  on 
being  informed  he  did,  he  immediately  ordered  hini 
to  be  carried  to  Herod,  who  then  resided  at  Jerusa- 
3em  ;  for  the  governor  supposed  that  Herod,  in  whose^ 
dominions  the  sedition  was  said  to  h»ve  be<:n  raised. 

Vol.  if,  ?< 


^i  NEW  AND  COMPLETi: 

must  be  a  better  judge  of  the  affair  than  hniiself :  be- 
sides, his  being  a  Jew  rendered  him  more  expert  in 
the  religion  of  his  own  country,  and  gave  him  greater 
influence  over  the  chief  priests  and  elders  :  he  there- 
fore considered  him  as  the  most  proper  person  to  pre- 
vail on  the  Jewish  council  to  desist  from  their  cruel 
prosecution  :  but  if,  contrary  to  all  human  probability 
he  should,  at  their  solicitation,  condemn  Jesus,  Pilate 
hoped  to  escape  the  guilt  and  infamy  of  putting  an 
innocent  person  to  death.  He  might  also  propose  by 
this  action  to  regain  Herod's  friendship,  which  he  had 
lost  by  encroaching,  in  all  probability,  on  the  privi- 
leges he  was  invested  with. 

Whatever  might  be  the  motive  that  induced  Pilate 
to  send  our  great  Redeemer  to  Herod,  the  latter  great- 
ly rejoiced  at  this  opportunity  of  seeing  Jesus,  hoping 
to  have  the  pleasure  of  beholding  him  perform  some 
great  miracle.  In  this  he  was  however  mistaken  :  for 
as  Herod  had  apostatized  from  the  doctrine  of  John 
the  Baptist,  to  v\^hich  he  was  once  a  convert,  and  had 
even  put  this  teacher  to  death,  the  blessed  Jesus,  how- 
ever liberal  of  his  miracles  to  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  affliction,  would  not  work  them  to  gratify  the  cu- 
riosity of  a  tyrant^  nor  even  answer  one  of  the  many 
questions  he  proposed* 

Finding  himself  thus  disappointed,  Herod  ordered 
6ur  blessed  Saviour  to  be  clothed  with  an  old  robe, 
resembling  in  colour,  those  worn  by  kings,  and  per- 
mitted hi&  attendants  to  insult  him  ;  perhaps  to  pro- 
voke him  to  work  some  miracle,  though  it  should 
prove  of  a  hurtful  kind.  From  Herod's  dressing  him 
in  this  manner,  it  evidently  appears,  that  the  chief 
priests  and  elders  had  accused  him  of  nothing,  but  his 
having  assumed  the  character  of  the  Messiah  ;  for  the 
affront  put  upon  him  was  plainly  in  derision  of  that 
pretension. 

The  other  head  of  accusation^  namely,  his  having 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  f§ 

attempted  to  raise  a  sedition  in  Galilee,  on  account  of 
the  tribute  paid  to  Caesar,  they  did  not  dare  to  men- 
tion, as  Herod  could  not  fail  of  knowing  it  to  be  a 
gross  and  malicious  falsehood  ;  and  no  crime  worthy 
of  death  being  laid  to  his  charge,  Herod  sent  him 
again  to  Pilate.  It  seems,  that  though  he  was  dis- 
pleased with  the  great  Redeemer  of  mankind  for  re- 
fusing to  work  a  miracle  before  him,  yet  he  did  not 
think  proper  to  be  unjust  to  him.  Perhaps  he  w^as  re- 
strained by  the  remorse  he  felt  on  account  of  the  death 
of  John  the  Baptist,  and  therefore  declined  bringing  a 
greater  weight  upon  his  cpnscience. 


3^  KEW  AND  COMPLETE 


CHAPTER  XXXVIL 

Pilate  gives  flie  Jews  fheir  Choice  of  Jesus  or  Barah- 
bas  to  be  released  :  Upon  the  Clamour  of  the  com- 
Vion  People^  Barabbas  is  loosed,  and  Jesus  delivered 
vf)  to  be  crucified :  He  is  croivnedwith  J  horns,  spit 
on,  and  mocked^ 

JL  HE  Roman  governors  at  the  passover,  made  it  a 
cubtom  to  court  the  favour  of  the  Populace,  by  gratify- 
ing them  with  the  release  of  any  one  prisoner  they 
pleased.  And  at  this  feast,  there  was  one  in  Prison 
named  Barabbas,  who,  at  the  head  of  a  number  of 
rebels,  had  made  an  insurrection  in  the  city,  and  com- 
mitted murder  during  the  tumult. 

There  being  now  again  a  great  multitude  of  people 
assembled  before  the  governor's  palace,  they  began  to 
call  aloud  on  him  to  perform  the  annual  office  of  mercy, 
customary  at  the  festival  they  were  now  celebratingo 
Pilate,  glad  of  this  opportunity,  told  them,  that  he 
was  willing  to  grant  the  favour  they  desired;  and 
asked  them  whether  thev  would  have  Barabbas  or  Je~ 
sus  released  unto  them  ?  But  without  waiting  for  an 
answer,  he  offered  to  release  Jesus,  knowing  that  the 
chief  priests  had  delivered  him  through  envy;  espe- 
cially as  Herod  had  not  found  him  guilty  of  the  crimes 
he  had  been  accused  of. 

During  these  transactions,  Pilate  received  a  mes- 
sage from  his  wife,  then  with  him  at  Jerusalem,  and 
who  had  that  morning  been  informed  of  something  in 
a  dream  which  gave  her  great  uneasiness.  Perhaps  it 
presaged  the  vengeance  of  the  Almighty  pursuing  her 
husband  and  family,  on  account  of  the  injustice  he  was 
going  to  commit.  But  whatever  the  dream  was,  it 
had  so  great  an  effect  on  this  Roman  lady,  that  she 
could  not  rest  till  she  had  sent  an  account  of  it  to  her 
husband,  whg  was  then  sitting  on  the  tribunal  in  the 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  37 

pavement,  and  begged  him  to  have  no  hand  in  the 
death  of  the  righteous  person  who  was  then  brought 
to  his  bar. 

As  the  people  had  not  yet  determined  whether  they 
would  have  Jesus  or  Barrabbas  released  to  them  ;  Pi- 
iate  therefore,  when  he  received  the  message  from  his 
wife,  called  the  chief  priests  and  rulers  together,  and 
in  the  hearing  of  the  multitude,  made  a  speech  to 
them,  in  which  he  gave  them  an  account  of  the  exam- 
ination, which  Jesus  had  undergone,  both  at  his  own 
and  Herod's  tribunal,  declaring  that  in  both  courts  it 
had  turned  out  honourably  to  his  character  j  for 
which  reason  he  proposed  to  them,  that  he  should  be 
the  object  of  the  peoples  favour,  and  be  acquitted. 

The  intent  of  Pilate,  in  doing  the  priests  the  honor 
to  consult  their  inclinations  in  particular,  might,  in 
all  probability,  be  with  a  design  to  soften  their  stony 
hearts,  and,  if  possible,  to  move  them  for  once  to  pity 
an  unhappy  and  innocent  man.  But  he  was  persuaded 
that  if  pity  was  absolutely  banished  from  their  callous 
breasts,  his  proposal  would  have  been  acceptable  to 
the  people,  whom  he  expected  would  embrace  the 
first  opportunity  of  declaring  in  his  favour.  Yet  in  this 
he  was  disappointed.  They  cried  out  all  at  once,  Aivay 
zvith  this  many  and  release  unto  us  Barabbas. 

Ye  apostate  mortals,  a  few  hours  ago  ye  listened 
with  rapture  to  his  heavenly  discourses,  beheld  with 
transport  the  many  salutary  miracles  wrought  by  this 
benevolent  son  of  the  Most  High,  and  earnestly  im- 
portuned him  to  take  possession  of  the  throne  and 
sceptre  of  David  !  Now  nothing  will  satiate  your  in- 
fernal malice  but  his  precious  blood  !  But  remember 
ye  miscreants,  ye  monsters  in  the  human  form,  that  this 
same  Jesus,  whom  ye  beheld  with  such  contempt  be- 
fore the  tribunal  of  the  Roman  governor  ;  this  Jesus, 
whose  blood  your  infernal  mouths  so  loudly  requested, 
shall  one  day  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  to  take 


SB  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

vengeance  on  his  enemies  !  And  how  will  you  be  able 
to  bear  the  sight  of  his  appearance,  when  the  very 
heavens  themselves  will  melt  at  his  presence,  "  the  sun 
become  black  as  sackcloth  of  hair/'  the  moon  be  turn- 
ed into  blood,  and  the  stars  fly  from  their  spheres  ? 
How  will  yc  then  repent  of  your  unjust  demand,  and 
call  to  the  mountains  and  rocks  to  fall  on  you,  and 
hide  you  from  the  presence  of  that  immaculate  Lamb 
of  God,  the  tremenduous  judge  of  quick  and  dead! 

^rhe  governor  himself  was  astonished  at  this  deter- 
mination of  the  multitude,  and  repeated  his  question, 
for  he  could  hardly  believe  what  he  had  himself  heard* 
But  on  their  again  declaring  that  they  desired  Barab- 
bas  might  be  released,  he  asked  them.  What  he  should 
do  with  Jesus i  which  is  called  Christ  f  as  if  he  had  said, 
you  demand  that  Barabbas  should  be  released ;  but 
what  shall  1  then  do  with  Jesus  ?  you  cannot  surely 
desire  me  to  crucify  him,  whom  so  many  of  you  have 
acknowledged  as  your  Messiah  ?  But  they  cried,  say- 
ing, crucify  him,  crucify  him.  Then  Pilate  said  unto 
them.  Why,  what  evil  hath  he  done  ?  And  they  cried 
out  the  more  exceedingly.  Crucify  him.  They  were  so 
resolutely  determined  to  have  him  destroyed,  that  not- 
withstanding Pilate  urged  them  again  and  again  to 
desire  his  release,  declared  his  innocence,  and  offered 
several  times  to  dismiss  him  :  they  would  not  hear  it, 
uttering  their  rage,  sometimes  in  hollow,  distant  inar- 
ticulate murmurs,  and  sometimes  in  furious  outcries; 
to  such  a  pitch  were  their  passions  raised  by  the  craft 
and  artful  insinuations  of  the  priests,  and  their  own 
thirst  for  his  blood. 

Finding  it  therefore  in  vain  to  struggle  with  their 
prejudices,  Pilate  called  for  water,  and  washed  his 
hands  before  the  multitude,  crying  out  at  the  same 
time,  that  the  prisoner  had  no  fault,  and  that  he  him- 
self was  not  accessory  to  his  death. 

Pilate,  by  this  act  and  declaration,  seems  to  have  in-? 


UFE  OF  CIIRISTo  3£; 

tended  to  make  some  impression  on  the  Jewish  popu- 
lace,  by  complying  with  the  institutions  of  Moses, 
which  orders,  in  case  of  an  unknown  murder,  the  el- 
ders of  the  nearest  city  to  wash  their  hands  publicly, 
and  sav.  Our  hands  have  7iot  shed  this  blood.  And 
in  allusion  to  this  hw,  the  Psalmist  says,  /  zvill  zvash 
vime  hands  in  innocenci/.  According  therefore,  to  the 
Jewish  rites,  Pilate  made  the  most  solemn  and  public 
declaration  of  the  innocence  of  our  dear  Redeemer, 
and  of  his  resolution  of  having  no  hand  in  his  death. 
Perhaps  he  flattered  himself^  that  by  this  solemn  ap- 
peal, he  should  have  terrified  the  Jewish  populace; 
for  a  person  of  his  understanding  and  education,  could 
not  but  be  sensible,  that  all  the  water  in  the  universe 
was  not  sufficient  to  wash  away  the  guilt  of  an  un- 
righteous  sentence.  But  notwithstanding  the  solem- 
nity of  this  declaration,  the  Jews  continued  inflexi- 
ble, and  cried  out,  with  one  voice,  His  blood  be  on  us 
and  on  our  children.  Dreadful  imprecation  !  It  shocks 
humanity  !  An  imprecation  which  brought  on  them 
the  dreadful  vengeance  of  Omnipotence,  and  is  still  a 
heavy  burden  on  that  perfidious  people  who  are  dis- 
persed all  over  the  earth  ! 

Pilate,  finding  it  impossible  to  alter  their  choice,  re- 
leased  unto  them  Barabbas.  And  as  it  was  the  general 
practice  of  the  Romans  to  scourge  those  criminals  they 
condemned  to  be  crucified,  Pilate  ordered  the  blessed 
Jesus  to  be  scourged  before  he  delivered  him  to  the 
soldiers  to  be  put  to  death.  The  soldiers  having  ac- 
cordingly scourged  Jesus,  and  received  orders  to  cru- 
cify him$  carried  him  into  the  Prastorium,  or  common 
hall,  where  they  added  the  shame  of  disgrace  to  the 
bitterness  of  his  punishment ;  for  sorfe  as  he  was  by 
reason  of  the  stripes  they  had  given  him,  they  dressed 
him  in  a  purple  robe,  in  derision  of  his  being  the  King 
of  the  Jews.  Having  dressed  him  in  this  robe  of  mock- 
mejesty,  they  put  a  reed  in  his  hand,  instead  of  a  scep- 
tre, and  after  platting  a  wreath  of  thorns,  they  put  it 
on  his  head  f^r  a  crown  ;  forcing  it  down  in  s,o  rude  £ 


4Q  NSW  AND  COMPLETE 

manner,  that  his  temples  were  torn.  And  his  face 
besmeared  with  his  most  precious  blood.  To  the  Son 
of  God  in  this  condition,  the  rude  soldiers  bowed  the 
knee,  pretending  to  do  it  out  of  respect ;  but  at  the 
same  time  gave  him  severe  blows  on  the  head,  which 
drove  the  prickles  of  the  wreath  afresh  into  his  tem- 
ples, then  spit  on  him,  to  express  their  highest  con- 
tempt and  disdain. 

The  office  of  governor,  obliging  Pilaite  to  be  pre- 
sent at  this  shocking  scene  of  inhumanity,  he  was  ready 
to  burst  with  grief.  The  sight  of  an  innocent  and  vir- 
tuous man,  treated  with  such  shocking  barbarity, 
raised  in  his  breast  the  most  painful  sensations  of  pity  : 
and  though  he  had  given  sentence  that  it  should  be 
as  the  Jews  desired,  and  had  delivered  our  dear  Re- 
deemer to  the  soldiers  to  be  crucified,  he  was  persua- 
ded, that  if  he  showed  him  to  the  people  in  that  con« 
dition,  they  must  relent,  and  petition  him  to  let  him  go* 
Filled  with  this  thought,  he  resolved  to  carry  him  out, 
and  exhibit  to  their  view,  a  spectacle  capable  of  soft» 
ening  the  most  envenomed,  obdurate,  enraged  enemy. 
And  in  order  to  render  the  impression  still  more  poig- 
nant, he  V  ent  out  himself,  and  said  unto  them, Though 
J  have  sentenced  this  man  to  die,  and  have  scourged 
him  as  one  that  is  to  be  crucified ;  yet  I  once  more 
bring  him  before  you,  that  I  may  again  testify  how  fully 
I  am  persuaded  of  his  innocence,  and  that  ye  may  yet 
iiave  an  opportunity  of  saving  his  life,  and  clearing 
the  guiltless. 

No  sooner  had  the  governor  finished  his'  speech, 
than  Jesus  appeared  on  the  pavement,  with  his  hair, 
his  face,  hrs  shoulders  all  clotted  v/ith  blood,  and  the 
purple  robe  bedaubed  with  spittle.  And  that  the  sight 
ofJKsusin  this  distress  might  make  the  greater  im- 
])ression  on  the  people,  Pilate,  while  he  was  coming 
forward,  cried  out.  Behold  ihemanl  As  if  he  had  said- 
Avill  nothing  make  you  relent  ?  Have  you  lost  all  the 
feelings  of  humanity  and  bowels  of  compassion  ?  Can 


LViK  OF  CHllISt.  ^A 

.,  ou  bear  to  see  the  innocent,  a  son  of  Abraliam,  thus 
Injured  ?  Perhaps,  also,  the  soldiers  were  sufl'ered  to 
buffet  Jesus  again  on  the  pavenient  before  the  multi- 
tude, in  order  to  excite  their  pity,  or  at  least  thc^lr 
pride  :  for  though  they  might  not  pity  Jesus  as  a  per- 
son unjustly  condemned  ;  yet  when  they  saw  one  of 
their  countrymen  insulted  by  Heathens,  it  was  natu- 
ral for  the  governor  to  suppose,  that  their  national  pride 
being  provoked,  it  would  have  induced  them  to  have 
demanded  his  enlargement  :  but  all  this  was  to  no 
purpose.  The  priests,  whose  rage  and  malice  had  ex-> 
tinguished  not  only  the  sentiments  of  justice  and  feel- 
ings of  pity,  natural  to  the  human  heart,  but  also  that 
love  which  countrymen  bear  for  each  other,  no  sooner 
sav^^  Jesus,  than  they  began  to  fear  the  fickle  populace 
might  relent,  and  therefore,  laying  decency  aside, 
they  led  the  way  to  the  multitude,  crying  out  with  all 
their  might.  Crucify  him  :  Crucify  him  1  Release  not 
this  man,  but  Barrabbas  ! 

The  governor  vexed  to  see  the  Jewish  rulers  thus 
obstinately  bent  on  the  destruction  of  a  person,  from 
whom  they  had  nothing  to  fear  that  was  dani^erous, 
either  with  regard  to  their  church  or  state,  passionately- 
told  them,  that  if  they  would  have  him  crucified,  they 
must  do  it  themselves;  because  he  would  not  suffer 
his  people  to  murder  a  man  who  was  guiltyof  no  crime. 
But  this  they  all  refused,  thinking  it  dishonourable  to 
receive  permission  to  punish  a  person  who  had  been 
more  than  once  publicly  declared  innocent  by  his  judge: 
besides  they  considered  with  themselves,  that  the  go- 
vernor might  afterwards  have  called  it  sedition,  as  the 
permission  had  been  extorted  from  him.  Accordingly 
they  told  him,  tliat  even  though  one  of  the  things  ai- 
ledged  against  the  prisoner  were  true,  he  had  commit- 
ted such  a  crinie  in  the  presence  of  the  council  itself, 
as  by  law  deserved  the  most  ignominious  death.  He 
had  spoken  blasphemy,  calling  himself  theSon  of  God^ 
a  title  which  no  mortal  could  assume  without  the  high- 
est degree  of  ^uilt :   V/elurcc  a  law,  and  bu  oitr  Ian;  lie 

VOL.  ij,  .«' 


42  NEW  AND  COMPLEti: 

ought  to  die,  because  he  made  himself  the  son  of  God,  d 
divine  person, 

Pilate's  fear  was  increased  when  he  heard  that  Je- 
sus called  himself  the  Son  of  God:  but  knowing  the 
obstinacy  of  the  Jews  in  all  matters  of  religion,  he 
was  afraid  they  would  make  a  tumult  in  earnest :  or, 
perhaps  he  was  himself  more  afraid  than  ever  to  take 
away  his  life,  because  he  suspected  it  might  be  true. 
He  doubtless  remembered  the  miracles  said  to  have 
been  performed  by  Jesus,  and  therefore  suspected  that 
he  really  was  the  Son  of  God  :  for  it  is  well  known 
that  the  religion  which  the  governor  professed,  direct- 
ed him  to  acknowledge  the  existence  of  demi-gods 
and  heroes,  or  men  descended  from  the  gods  :  nay,  the 
Heathens  believed,  that  their  gods  themselves  some- 
times appeared  upon  earth  in  the  form  of  men  and 
conversed  with  them. 

These  reflections  induced  Pilate  to  go  again  into  the 
judgment-hall,  and  ask  Jesus  from  what  father  he 
sprung,  and  from  what  country  he  came  ?  But  our 
blessed  Saviour  gave  him  no  answer,  lest  the  gover- 
nor should  reverse  his  sentence,  and  absolutely  refuse 
to  crucify  him.  Pilate  marvelled  greatly  at  this  silence, 
and  said  unto  Jesus,  Why  dost  thou  refuse  to  answer 
me  ?  Thou  canst  not  be  ignorant  that  I  am  invested 
Vi^ith  absolute  power,  either  to  release  or  crucify  thee. 
To  which  Jesus  answered,  I  well  know  that  thou  art 
Caesar's  servant,  and  accountable  to  him  for  thy  man- 
agement, I  forgive  thee  an  injury,  which,  contrary 
to  thy  inclinations,  the  popular  fury  constrains  thee  to 
do  unto  me.  Thou  hast  thy  power  fro77i  above,  from 
the  emperor:  for  which  cause,  the  Jewish  high-priesty 
who  hath  put  me  into  thy  hands,  and  by  pretending 
that  1  am  Caesar's  enemy,  forces  thee  to  condemn  me  i 
or  if  thou  refusest,  will  accuse  thee  as  negligent  of  the 
emperor's  interest;  he  is  more  guilty  than  thee:  IJe 
that  delivered  me  unto  thee  hath  the  greater  sin,  being 
instigated  thereto  Ini  malice^ 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  4H 

Hearing  this  sweet  and  modest  answer,  such  an  Im- 
pression was  thereby  made  on  Pilate,  that  he  went  out 
to  the  people,  and  declared  his  intention  of  releasing 
Jesus,  whether  they  gave  their  con&ent  or  not.  Upon 
which  the  chief  priests  and  rulers  of  Israel  cried  our^ 
//  i/ioii  let  this  ma?i  go,  tJioit  art  not  Cccsar's  friend ; 
zvhosoever  maktth  himself  a  king,  speaketJi  against  de- 
sar.  If  thou  releasest  the  prisoner,  who  hath  set  him- 
self up  for  a  kingj  and  endeavoured  to  raise  a  rebel- 
lion in  the  country,  thou  art  unfaithful  to  the  interest 
of  \h^  emperor  thy  master.  This  argument  was  weigh- 
tvj  and  shook  Pilate's  resolution  to  the  very  basis  :  he 
vv  as  terrified  at  the  thought  of  being  accused  to  Tibe- 
rius, who  in  all  affairs  of  government  always  suspect- 
ed the  worst,  and  punished  the  most  minute  crimes  re- 
lative thereto,  with  death.  The  governor  being  thuj 
constrained  to  yield  contrary  to  his  inclination,  was 
very  angry  with  the  priests  for  stirring  up  the  people 
to  such  a  pitch  of  madness,  and  determined  to  affront 
them.  He  therefore  brought  Jesus  out  a  second  time 
into  the  pavement,  wearing  the  purple  robe  and  the 
crov/n  of  thorns;  and,  pointing  to  him  ;  said,  Behold 
your  King  ;  ridiculing  the  national  expectation  of  a 
Messiah,  as  their  deliverer. 

Stung  to  the  quick,  by  this  sarcasticai  expression, 
they  cried  out,  Awai)  witJi  Jiim,  away  zvith  him,  cruci- 
jy  him.  To  which  Pilate  answered,  with  the  same 
mocking  air.  Shall  I  crucify  your  king?  The  chief 
priests  answered,  IVe  have  no  king  but  Cesar.  Thus 
did  they  publicly  renounce  their  hope  of  the  Messiah, 
which  the  whole  economy  of  their  religion  had  been 
calculated  to  cherish  :  they  also  publicly  acknov/- 
ledged  their  subjection  to  the  Romans:  and,  conse- 
quently, condemned  themselves,  when  they  afterwards 
rebelled  against  the  emperor  Vespasian,  who,  with 
his  son  Titus,  destroyed  their  city  and  temple. 

A\^e  may  here  observe,  that  the  great  unwillingness 
of  the  governor  to  pass  sentence  of  death  upon  Jesii?- 


4i  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

has  something  in  it  very  remarkable.  For  from  the 
character  of  Pilate,  as  drawn  by  the  Roman  liistorians 
themselves,  he  seems  to  have  been  far  from  possessing 
any  true  principle  of  virtue.  To  what  then  could  it 
be  owing,  that  so  wicked  a  man  should  so  steadily  ad- 
here to  the  cause  of  innocence,  which  he  defended 
with  uncommon  bravery,  and  perhaps  would  never 
have  abandoned  it,  had  he  not  been  forced  by  the 
threatenings  of  the  chief  priests  and  rulers  of  Israel? 
And  w^hen  he  did  yield,  and  passed  sentence  upon  our 
dear  Redeemer,  why  did  he  still  declare  him  innocent? 
This  can  certainly  be  attributed  to  no  other  cause  than 
to  the  secret  and  powerful  direction  of  the  providence 
of  the  Almighty,  who  intended  that  at  the  same  time 
his  son  was  condemned  and  executed  as  a  malefactor, 
his  innocence  should  be  made  appear  in  the  most  pub- 
lic manner,  and  by  the  most  authentic  evidence;  even 
that  of  the  judge  himself.  It  was  the  power  of  the 
Almighty  that  set  bounds  to  the  inveterate  malice  and 
fury  of  the  Jews,  that  would  not  suffer  them  to  stain 
the  innocence  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  at  the  same  time 
they  deprived  him  ot  his  life  ;  but  said  to  their  boiste- 
rous malice,  as  he  had  before  said  to  the  foaming  bil- 
lows of  the  ocean.  Hitherto  shall  thou  comcy  but  no 
furthti\  and  here  shalt  thy  proud  waves  he  stayed  i  foi- 
none  can  stay  his  hand,  or  contfoulhis  w^ill. 


X.Il''E  OF  CHRIST.  45 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


^Esvs  is  led  for  til  to  Calvary:  Simon,  tJie  Cyrenian^ 
compelled  to  carry  the  Cross :  He  it  crucified  be- 
tween two  Malefactors:  A  Title  is  put  upon  the 
Cross  by  Pilate,  and  Lots  cast  for  his  Garment : 
Tlie  Multitude,  the  Rulers,  the  Priests,  and  the 
Soldiers  revile  Jesus  ;  TJlc  conversion  of  one  of  the 
Thieves:  The  great  and  unnatural  Eclipse  of  the 
Sun:  Jesus  speaks  to  his  Friends  from  the  Cross, 
cries,  **  It  is  finished,''  recommends  his  Spirit  into 
the  Hands  of  his  heavenly  Father,  and  expires. 

vJ'  my  soul!  come  and  follow  thy  Redeemer  to  the 
last  scene  of  the  most  innocent  and  useful  course  that 
was  ever  passed  on  earth:  follow  him  to  Calvary's 
horrid  eminence,  to  Calvary's  fatal  catastrophe;  there 
fix  thy  most  constant  attention  on  that  lovely,  that  sor- 
rowful spectacle.  Behold  the  spotless  victim  nailed 
to  a  tree,  and  stabbed  to  the  heart;  hear  him  pouring 
out  prayers  for  his  murderers,  before  he  poured  out  his 
soul  for  transgressors ;  see  the  wounds  that  stream 
with  forgiveness,  and  bleed  balm  for  a  distempered 
world.  O  !  see  the  justice  and  goodness  of  the  Almigh- 
ty, his  mercy,  and  his  vengeance ;  all  his  tremendous 
and  gracious  attributes  manitested  ;  manifested  with 
inexpressible  splendour,  in  the  most  ignominious, 
and  vet  grandest  of  transactions  that  ever  the  world 
beheld  ! 

After  sentence  was  pronounced  against  the  blessed 
Jesus,  the  soldiers  were  ordered  to  prepare  for  his  ex- 
ecution; a  command  which  they  readily  obeyed,  and 
after  clothing  him  in  his  own  garments,  led  him  away 
to  crucify  him.  It  is  not  said  that  they  took  the  crown 
of  thorns  from  his  temples;  probably  he  died  wearing 
it,  that  the  title  placed  over  his  head  might  be  the 
better  understood  by  the  spectators 


4G  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

The  ministers  of  Jewish  malice  we  may  suppose, 
remitted  none  of  the  circumstances  of  affliction, 
which  were  ever  laid  on  persons  condemned  to  be  cru- 
cified. Accordingly,  Jesus  was  obliged  to  walk  on. 
toot  to  the  place  of  execution,  bearing  his  cross;  but 
the  fatigue  of  the  preceding  night  spent  without 
sleep,  the  sufferings  he  had  undergone  in  the  garden; 
his  having  been  hurried  from  place  to  place,  and 
obliged  to  stand  the  whole  time  of  his  trials ;  the  want 
of  food,  and  the  loss  of  blood  he  had  sustained,  and 
not  his  want  of  coura^^e  on  this  occasion  made  him 
lamt  under  the  burden  of  his  cross.  The  soldiers, 
seeing  him  unable  to  bear  the  weight,  laid  it  on  one  Si- 
mon, a  native  of  Cyrene,  in  Egypt,  the  father  of  Alex- 
ander and  Rufus,  well  known  among  the  first  Chris- 
tians, and  forced  him  to  bear  it  after  the  great  Re- 
deemer of  mankind.  The  soldiers  did  not  this,  how- 
ever, out  of  compassion  to  the  suffering  Jesus,  but  to 
prevent  his  dying  with  the  fatigue,  and  by  that  m.eans 
avoiding  the  punishment  designed  for  him. 

In  this  journey  to  Calvary  our  blessed  Saviour,  was 
followed  by  an  innumerable  multitude  of  people,  par^ 
ticularly  of  women,  who  lamented  bitterly  the  severity 
of  his  sentence,  and  shewed  all  the  tokens  of  sincere 
compassion  and  grief.  Jesus,  who  always  felt  the 
woes  of  others  more  than  he  did  his  own,  forgetting 
his  distress  at  the  very  time  when  it  lay  heaviest  upon 
him,  turned  himself  about,  and,  with  a  benevolence 
and  tenderness  truly  divine,  said  to  them.  Daughters 
of  Jerusalem^  iveep  not  for  mc^  hut  weep  for  yourselves 
and  for  your  children.  For,  behold,  the  da^s  are  com^ 
ing  in  tvhich  they  shall  s ay ^  Blessed  are  the  barren,  and 
the  zvombs  that  never  bare,  and  the  paps  tvhich  never 
gave  suck.  Then  shall  they  begin  to  say  to  the  moun- 
tains,  Fallon  us  :  and  to  the  hills.  Cover  us.  For  if 
they  do  these  things  in  a  green  tree,  ivliat  shall  be  done 
in  a  dry  P  As  if  he  had  said.  Dry  up  these  tears,  ye 
daughters  of  Jerusalem,  which  ye  shed  in  compassion 
to  me,  and  reserve  them  for  the    deplorable  fate  ot 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  At 

yourselves  and  your  children ;  for  the  calamities  thafe 
will  soon  fall  on  you  and  your  offspring,  are  truly  ter- 
rible, and  call  for  the  bittetest  lamentation.  In  those 
days  of  vengeance  you  will  passionately  wish  that  you 
had  not  given  birth  to  a  generation,  whose  wicked- 
ness has  rendered  them  the  objects  of  the  wrath  of  the 
Almighty,  to  such  a  degree  as  was  never  before  expe- 
rienced in  the  world.  Then  shall  they  wish  to  be 
crushed  under  the  weight  of  enormous  mountains,  and 
concealed  from  their  enemies  in  the  bowels  of  the 
earth.  The  thoughts  of  these  calamities  afflict  my 
soul  far  more  than  the  feeling  of  my  own  sufferings: 
for  if  the  Romans  are  permitted  to  inflict  punishments 
on  me  who  am  innocent,  how  dreadful  must  the  ven- 
geance be  which  they  shall  inflict  on  a  nation  whose 
sins  cry  aloud  to  heaven,  hastening  the  pace  of  the  di- 
vine judgments,  and  rendering  the  perpetrators  as  pro- 
per for  judgment  as  dry  wood  is  for  flames  of  fire. 

At  the  place  of  execution,  which  was  called  Gol- 
gotha, or  the  place  of  a  skull,  from  the  criminal  bones 
which  lay  scattered  there,  some  of  our  Redeemer's 
friends  offered  him  a  stupifying  potion,  to  render  hrm 
insensible  of  the  ignominy  and  excruciating  pain  of 
his  punishment ;  but  as  soon  as  he  tasted  the  potion 
he  refused  to  drink  it,  being  determined  to  bear  his 
sufferings,  however  sharp,  not  by  intoxicating  and 
stupifying  himself,  but  by  the  strength  of  patience, 
fortitude  and  faith. 

Having  therefore  refused  the  potion,  the  soldiers 
began  to  execute  their  orders  by  stripping  hlui  quite 
naked,  and  in  that  condition  began  to  fasten  him  to 
his  cross.  But  while  they  were  piercing  his  hands 
and  his  feet  with  nails,  instead  of  crying  out  with 
the  sharpness  of  the  pain,  he  calmlv,  though  severely 
prayed  for  them,  and  for  all  those  who  had  any  hand 
in  his  death ;  beseeching  the  Almighty  to  forgive  them, 
and  excusing  them  himself  by  the  only  circumstance 
that  could  alleviate  their  guilt ;  I  mean,  their  igix)- 


4S  I4E\V  AND  COMPLETE 

ranee.  Father,  said  the  compassionate  Redeemer  of 
mankind,  forgive  them:  for  they  knoiv  not  ivhat  they 
do.  This  was  infinite  meekness  and  goodness,  truly 
worthy  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God ;  an  exam- 
j3le  of  forgiveness,  which,  though  it  can  never  be 
equalled  by  any,  should  be  imitated  by  all,  then  suffer- 
ing in  a  good  cause. 

Behold  now  the  appointed  soldiers  dig  the  hole  in 
which  the  cross  was  to  be  erected.  The  cross  is  placed 
in  the  ground,  and  the  blessed  Jesus  lies  on  the  bed  ot 
sorrows j  they  nail  him  to  it;  they  erected  it;  his  nerves 
crack  ;  his  blood  distils ;  he  hangs  upon  his  wounds  na- 
ked, a  spectacle  to  heaven  and  earth.  Thus  was  the  on- 
ly begotten  Son  of  God,  who  came  down  from  heaven 
to  save  the  world,  crucified  by  his  own  creatures;  and 
to  render  the  ignominy  still  greater,  placed  between 
two  thieves :  Hear,  O  heavens  I  O  earth,  earth  hear  ! 
The  Lord  hath  nourished  and  broiiglit  up  children,  and 
they  have  rebelled  against  him;  by  rejecting  the  only 
Saviour,  and  the  God  of  all  their  mercies. 

Crimes  committed  by  malefactors  were  usually 
written  on  a  white  board  with  black,  and  placed  over 
their  heads  on  the  cross.  In  conformity  to  this  cus- 
torn,  Pilate  wrote  a  title  in  the  Hebrew,  Greek,  and 
Latin  languages,  that  all  foreigners  as  well  as  natives, 
might  be  able  to  read  it,  and  fastened  it  to  the  cross, 
over  the  head  ot  Jesus;  and  the  inscription  v^^as  JE- 
SUS OF  NAZARETH,  THE  KING  OF  THE 
JEWS.  But  when  the  chief  priests  and  elders  had 
read  this  title  they  were  greatly  displeased;  because, 
as'it  represented  the  crime  for  which  Jesus  was  con- 
demned, it  insinuated  that  he  had  been  acknowledged 
for  the  Messiah:  besides,  being  placed  over  the  head 
of  one  who  was  dying  by  the  most  infamous  punish- 
ment, it  implied  that  all  who  attempted  to  deliver  the 
Jews,  should  perish  in  tlie  same  manner.  The  faitlr 
and  hope  of  the  nation,  therefore,  being  thus  publicly 
ridiculed,  it   is  no  wonder  that  the  priests  thought 


LIFE  OF  CHRIbT.  49 

ihemsehxs  highly  afTronted  ;  and  accordingly  came  to 
Pilate,  begging  that  the  writing  might  be  altered  ;  but 
as  he  had  intended  the  affront  in  revenge  for  their  forc- 
ing him  to  crucify  Jesus,  contrary  both  to  his  judg- 
ment and  inchnation,  he  refused  to  grant  their  re- 
quest :  JFhat  I  have  ivr  it  ten,  said  he,  /  have  written; 
and  persisted  in  his  resolution  not  to  alter  the  inscrip- 
tion. 

The  soldiers  having  nailed  the  blessed  Jesus  to  the 
cross,  and  erected  it,  divided  his  garments  amongst 
them  ;  but  his  coat,  or  vesture,  being  without  seam^^ 
woven  from  the  top  throughout,  they  agreed  not  to 
rend  it,  but  to  cast  lots  for  it,  that  the  prediction  of 
the  prophet  concerning  the  death  and  sufferings  of 
the  Messiah  might  be  fulfilled  :  They  parted  my 
garments  amongst  them,  and  iipon  mij  vesture  did 
they  cast  lots.  A  sufficient  indication  that  every 
circumstance  of  the  death  and  passion  of  the  bless- 
ed Jesus  was  long  before  determined  in  the  court 
of  heaven  -,  and  accordingly,  his  being  crucified  be- 
tween two  malefectors  was  expressly  foretold,  Ajid  he 
was  numbered  ivith  the  transgressors. 

When  the  common  people j  whom  the  vile  priesti 
had  incensed  against  the  blessed  Jesus,  by  the  mali- 
cious falsehoods  they  had  spread  concerning  him,  and 
which  they  pretended  to  found  on  the  deposition  of 
witnesses,  saw  him  hang  in  so  infamous  a  manner  up- 
on the  cross,  and  reading  the  inscription  that  was  plac- 
ed over  his  head,  they  expressed  their  indignation 
against  him  by  sarcastical  expressions  :  Ah,  thou,  said 
they,  that  destroyest  the  temple,  and  buildest  it  in  tJiree 
days,  save  thyself,  and  come  down  from  the  cross. 

The  multitude  were  not  the  only  persons  who 
mocked  and  derided  the  blessed  Jesus,  while  he  was 
suffering  to  obtain  the  remission  of  the  sins  of  all  man- 
kind. The  rulers,  who  now  imagined  they  had  effec- 
tually destroyed  his  pretensions  to  the  character  of  the; 

VOL.  ii,  a 


f,0  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

iVIessiah,  joined  the  populace  in  ridiculing  him,  and 
with  a  meanness  of  soul  which  many  infamous  wretch- 
es would  have  scorned,  mocked  hrm,  even  while  he 
was  struggling  with  the  agonies  of  death  :  they  scoff- 
ed at  the  miracles  by  which  he  demonstrated  himself 
to  be  the  Messiah,  and  promised  to  believe  in  him,  on 
condition  of  his  proving  his  pretensions  by  descending 
from  the  cross:  He  saved  others^  said  they,  himself  he 
cannot  save.  If  he  he  the  King  of  Israel,  let  him  now 
come  down  fnnn  the  cross,  and  we  zvill  believe  him  ; 
not  knowing  what  they  said. 

Nothing  could  be  more  false  and  hypocritical  than 
this  pretension  of  the  stiff-necked  Jews;  for  they  con- 
tinued in  their  unbelief,  notwithstanding  they  well 
knew  that  he  raised  himself  from  the  dead  ;  a  much 
greater  miracle  than  his  coming  down  from  the  cross 
would  have  been,  a  miracle  attested  by  witnesses 
whose  veracity  they  could  not  call  in  question :  it  was 
told  them  by  the  soldiers  whom  they  themselves  plac- 
ed at  the  sepulchre  to  watch  the  body,  and  who  they 
were  obliged  to  bribe  largely  to  conceal  the  truth.  It 
is  therefore  abundantly  evident,  that  if  the  blessed 
Jesus  had  descended  from  the  cross,  the  Jewish  priests 
would  have  continued  in  their  infidelity ;  and  conse- 
quently that  their  declaration  was  made  with  no  other 
intention  than  to  insult  the  Redeemer  of  mankind,, 
thinking  it  impossible  for  him  now  to^  escape  out  of 
their  hands.  The  soldiers  also  joined  in  this  genera! 
scene  of  mockery,  //  thou  he  the  King  of  the  Jews, 
said  they,  save  thyself.  If  thou  art  the  great  Messiah 
expected  by  the  Jews,  descend  from  the  cross  by  mir- 
acle, and  deliver  thyself  from  these  excruciating  tor- 
ments, inflicted  by  thy  enemies. 

One  of  the  thieves  could  not  forbear  mocking  the 
.^reat  Lord  ot  heaven  and  earth,  though  labouring 
himself  under  the  most  racking  pains,  and  struggling 
with  the  agonies  of  death:  but  the  other  exercised  a 
m^st  extraordinary  faith,,  at  a  time  when  our  great  Re- 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  51 

deemerwas  deserted  by  his  Father,  mocked  by  men, 
and  hanged  upon  the  cross,  as  the  most  ignominious  of 
malefactors.  This  Jewish  criminal  seems  to  have  en- 
tertained a  more  rational  and  exalted  notion  of  the  Mes- 
siah's kingdom  than  even  the  disciples  themselves; 
they  expected  nothing  but  a  secular  empire:  he  gave 
strong  intimations  of  his  having  an  idea  of  Christ's 
spiritual  dominion;  for  at  the  very  time  when  Jesus 
was  dying  on  the  cross,  he  begged  to  be  remembered 
by  him  when  he  came  into  his  kingdom :  Lord,  said 
he,  remember  me,  when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom. 
Nor  did  he  make  his  request  in  vain :  the  great  Re- 
deemer of  mankind  answered  him,  VerUy,  I  say  unto 
thee,  to-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise:  There- 
by evidencing  the  immediate  happiness  of- the  righte- 
ous after  deatli. 

Let  us  now  attentively  consider  the  history  of  our 
blessed  Saviour's  passion,  as  it  offers  to  our  view 
events  absolutely  astonishing,  for  when  we  remember 
the  perfect  innocence  of  our  great  Redeemer,  the  un- 
<:ommon  love  he  bore  to  the  children  of  men,  and  the 
many  kind  and  benevolent  offices  he  did  for  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  affliction ;  when  ^ve  reflect  on  the  es- 
teem in  which  he  was  held  all  along  by  the  common 
people,  how  cheerfully  they  followed  him  to  the  remot- 
x?st  corners  of  the  country,  nay,  even  into  the  desolate 
retreats  of  the  wilderness,  and  with  what  pleasure  they 
listened  to  his  discourses  ;  when  we  consider  these  par- 
ticulars, I  say,  we  cannot  help  being  astonished  to  find 
them  at  the  conclusion,  rushing  all  of  a  sudden  into  the 
opposite  extremes,  and  every  individual  as  it  were,  com- 
bijied  to  treat  him  with  the  most  barbarous  cruelty  and 
insult, 

Pilate  having  asked  the  people,  if  they  desired  to 
have  Jesus  released,  his  disciples,  though  they  were 
very  numerous  and  might  have  made  a  great  appear- 
ance in  his  behalf,  remained  absolutely  silent,  as  if  they 
had  been  speechless  or  infatuated.     The  Roman  sol- 


55f  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

diers,  notwithstanding  their  general  had  declared  hint 
innocent,  insulted  him  in  the  most  inhuman  manner; 
the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  ridiculed  him;  the  com- 
mon people,  who  had  received  him  with  Hosannas 
a  few  days  before,  wagged  their  heads  at  him  as 
they  passed  by,  and  railed  on  him  as  a  deceiver:  nay, 
the  very  thief  on  the  cross  reviled  him^  in  the  midst  of 
his  sufferings. 

Though  this  sudden  revolution  in  the  minds  of  the 
whole  nation  may  seem  unaccountable;  3^et  if  we 
could  assign  a  proper  reason  for  the  silence  of  the 
disciples,  the  principle,  which  influenced  the  rest 
might  be  discovered  in  their  several  speeches.  The 
followers  of  the  blessed  Jesus  had  attached  them- 
selves to  him,  in  expectation  of  being  raised  to  great 
wealth  and  powder  in  his  kingdom,  which  they  expected 
would  have  been  established  long  before  this  time:  but 
seeing  no  appearance  at  all  of  what  they  had  so  long 
hoped  for,  they  permitted  him  to  be  condemned,  per- 
haps because  they  thought  it  would  have  obliged  him 
to  break  the  Roman  yoke  by  some  miraculous  act  of 
divine  power. 

The  soldiers  were  angry  tliat  any  one  should  pretend 
to  royalty  in  Judea,  where  Cccsar  had  established  his 
authority:  hence  they  insulted  our  blessed  Saviour 
with  the  title  of  King,  and  paid  him,  in  mockery,  the 
honours  of  a  sovereign ;  and  as  for  the  common  people, 
they  seemed  to  have  lost  their  opinion  of  him,  proba- 
bly, because  he  had  neither  convinced  the  council,  nor 
rescued  himself  when  they  condemned  him.  They  be- 
gan, therefore,  to  consider  the  story  of  his  pretending 
to  destroy  the  temple,  and  build  it  in  three  days,  as  a 
kind  of  blasphemy,  because  it  required  divine  power 
to  perform  such  a  work. 

The  most  implacable  and  diabolical  malice  irritated 
the  priests  and  Scribes  against  him ;  because  he  had 
torn  oif  their  masks  of  hypocrisy,  and  shewed  them  to. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  53 

the  people  in  their  true  colours.  It  is  therefore^  no  won- 
der that  they  ridiculed  his  miracles,  from  whence  he 
derived  his  reputation.  In  short,  the  thief  also  fancied 
that  he  would  have  delivered  both  himself  and  them, 
if  he  had  been  the  Messiah;  but  as  no  such  deliver- 
ance appeared,  he  upbraided  him  for  making  preten- 
sions to  the  high  character  he  assumed. 

Now,  my  soul,  take  a  view  of  thy  dying  Saviour, 
breathing  out  his  soul  upon  the  cross!  Behold  his  un- 
spotted flesh  lacerated  with  stripes,  by  which  thou  art 
healed !  See  his  hands  extended  and  nailed  to  the  cross ; 
those  beneficent  hands,  which  were  incessantly  stretch- 
ed  out  to  unloose  the  heavy  burdens,  and  to  impart 
blessings  of  every  kind !  Behold  his  feet  rivetted  to 
the  accursed  tree  with  nails:  those  feet  which  always 
went  about  doing  good,  and  travelled  far  and  near  to 
spread  the  glad  tidings  of  everlasting  salvation!  View 
his  tender  temples  encircled  with  a  wreath  of  thorns, 
which  shoot  their  keen  afflictive  points  into  his  blessed 
head;  that  head  which  was  ever  meditating  peace  to 
poor  lost  and  undone  sinners,  and  spent  many  a  y^ake- 
ful  night  in  ardent  prayers  for  their  happiness !  See  him 
labouring  in  the  agonies  of  death,  breathing  out  his  soul 
into  the  hands  of  his  Almighty  Father,  and  praying  for 
his  cruel  enemies!  Was  ever  love  like  this  I  Was  ever 
benevolence  so  finely  displayed  ?  O,  my  soul !  put 
thou  thy  trust  in  that  bleeding,  that  dying  Saviour;  then, 
though  the  pestilence  walketh  in  darkness,  and  the  sick- 
ness destroyeth  at  noon-day  :  though  thousands  fall  be- 
side thee,  and  ten  thousand  at  thy  right  hand,  thou 
needest  not  fear  the  approcich  of  any  evil!  Either  the 
destroying  angel  shall  pass  over  thee,  or  dispense  the 
corrections  of  a  friend,  not  the  scourges  of  an  enemy, 
which  instead  of  hurting,  will  work  for  thy  good:  then, 
though  profaneness  and  infidelity,  far  more  malignant 
evils,  breathe  their  contagion,  and  taint  the  morals  of 
multitudes  around  thee,  thou  shalt  be  safely  hid  in  the 
hollow  of  his  hand,  and  freed  from  e^ery  danger,  in 
time,  and  for  e^'er. 


54  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

Then,  O  my  soul,  take  sanctuary  under  that  tree  of 
Hfe,  the  ignominious  cross  of  thy  bleeding  Saviour ;  let 
us  fly  for  safety  to  that  city  of  refuge  opened  in  his 
bleeding  wounds :  these  will  prove  a  sacred  hiding- 
place,  not  to  be  pierced  by  the  flames  of  divine  Avrath, 
or  the  fiery  darts  of  temptation :  his  dying  merits,  his 
perfect  obedience,  will  be  as  rivers  of  water  in  a  dry 
place ^  or  as  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  i?i  a  weary  land. 
But  particularly  in  that  last  tremendous  day,  when  the 
heavens  shall  be  rent  asunder,  and  wrapped  up  like  a 
scroll ;  when  his  Almight}^  arm  should  arrest  the  sun  in 
his  career,  and  dash  the  structure  of  the  universe  to 
pieces  ;  ^vhen  the  dead,  both  small  and  great,  shall  be 
gathered  before  the  throne  of  his  glory,  and  the  fates  of 
all  mankind  hang  on  the  very  point  of  a  final  irreversi- 
ble decision:  then,  if  thou  hast  faithfully  trusted  in  him, 
and  made  his  precepts  thy  constant  directors,  thou  shall 
be  owned  and  defended  by  liim.  O  reader  !  may  both 
thou  that  perusest,  and  he  who  hath  written  this  for  thy 
soul's  advantage,  be  covered  at  that  unutterably  import- 
ant juncture,  by  the  wings  of  his  redeeming  love;  then 
shall  we  behold  all  the  horrible  convulsions  of  expiring 
nature  with  composure,  with  comfort!  we  shall  even 
\\  elcome  the  consummation  of  all  things,  as  the  times 
of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  tlie  JLordy  and  be 
eternally  happy  with  him. 

Behold  the  sun,  conscious  of  the  sufferings  of  his 
Maker,  and  as  it  were  to  hide  his  face  from  this  detesta- 
ble action  of  mortals,  is  wrapped  in  the  pitchy  mantle 
of  chaotic  darkness!  This  preternatural  eclipse  of  the 
sun  continued  for  three  hours,  to  the  great  terror  and 
astonishment  of  the  people  present  at  the  execution  of 
fjur  deal'  Redeemer.  And  surely  nothing  could  be  more 
]>roper  than  this  extraordinary  alteration  in  the  face  of 
nature,  while  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  was  withdraw- 
ing his  beams,  not  only  from  the  promised  land,  but 
from  the  whole  v^^orld  ;  for  it  was  at  once  a  miraculous 
testimony  given  by  the  Almighty  himself  to  the  inno- 
cence of  his  Son,  and  a  proper  emblem  of  th<^  dcpar- 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  j:i 

tare  of  him  who  was  the  Light  of  the  world,  at  least 
till  (lis  luminous  rays,  like  the  beams  of  the  moi  niiij^;, 
shout,  out  anew  with  additional  splendour,  in  the  miu- 
0ry  of  his  apostles,  after  his  ascension. 

^  i  he  darkness  which  now  covered  Judea  and  the 
neighbouring' countries,  beginning  about  noon,  and  con- 
tinuing till  Jesus  expired,  could  not  be  the  effect  of  au 
ordinary  eclipse  of  the  sun.  It  is  well  known  that  these 
pI:o-:iiomena,  can  only  happen  at  the  change  of  the 
nqioop,  whereas  the  JcAvish  passover  at  which  our  dear 
Redeemer  suifered,  was  always  celebrated  at  the  full  i 
besides,  thd  total  darkness  of  an  eclipse  of  the  sun, 
never  exceeds  twelve  or  fifteen  minutes,  whereas  this 
conthiued  full  three  hours.  Nothing,  therefore,  but 
the  im^mediate  hand  of  that  Almighty  Being  which 
placed  the  sun  in  the  planetary  system,  could  have 
produced  this  astonishing  darkness:  nothing  but  Om- 
nipotence who  first  lighted  this  glorious  luminaiy  of 
fieaven,  could  have  deprived  it  of  it's  cheering  ra}  s- 
Now  ye  scofiers  of  Israel,  whose  blood  ye  have  so  ear- 
nestly desired,  and  wished  it  might  fall  upon  you  and 
your  children  1  behold  all  nature  is  drest  in  the  sable 
veil  of  sorrow,  and  in  a  language  that  cannot  be  mis- 
taken, mourns  the  departure  of  its  Lord  and  Master; 
weeps  for  our  crimes,  and  deprecates  the  vengeance  of 
heaven  upon  our  guilty  heads!  Happy  for  you  that  this 
sufiering  Jesus  is  compassion  itself,  and  even  in  the 
agonies  of  death,  prays  to  his  heavenly  Father  to  avert 
from  you  the-stroke  of  his  justice,  thereby  opening  the 
gate  of  mercy  even  to  you  his  murderers ! 

The  Heathens  themselves  considered  this  preternat- 
ural eclipse  of  the  sun  as  a  miracle,  and  one  of  them 
cried  out,  '  Either  the  world  is  at  an  end,  or  the  God 
of  nature  suffers!'  And  well  might  he  use  the  expres- 
sion ;  for  never  since  this  planetary  system  was  called 
from  its  primitive  chaos,  was  known  such  a  deprivation 
of  light  in  the  glorious  luminary  of  day.  Indeed,  when 
the  Almighty  punished  Pharaoah  for  refusing  to  let  the 


56  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

children  of  Israel  depart  out  of  his  land,  the  sable  veil 
of  darkness  ^vas  for  three  days  drawn  over  Egypt :  but 
this  darkness  was  confined  to  a  part  of  that  kingdom ; 
whereas  this  that  happened  at  our  Saviour's  crucifixion, 
was  universal,  and  not  merely  local. 

The  disciples  naturally  considered  the  darkness,  when 
it  began,  as  a  prelude  to  the  deliverance  of  their  Mas^ 
ter:  for  though  the  chief  priests,  elders,  and  people, 
had  sarcastically  desired  him  to  descend  from  the  ac- 
cursed tree,  his  friends  could  not  but  be  persuaded,  that 
he  w^ho  had  delivered  so  many  from  incurable  diseases, 
who  had  created  limbs  for  the  maimed,  and  eyes  for 
the  blind,  who  had  given  speech  to  the  dumb,  and  called 
the  dead  from  the  chambers  of  the  dust,  might  easily 
save  himself  even  from  the  cross.  When,  therefore^ 
his  mother,  his  mother's  sister  Mary  Magdalene,  and 
the  beloved  disciple  observed  the  veil  of  darkness  be- 
gin to  extend  over  the  face  of  nature,  they  drew  near  to 
the  foot  of  the  cross,  probably  in  expectation  that  the 
Son  of  God  was  going  to  shake  the  frame  of  the  uni- 
verse, unloose  himself  from  the  cross,  and  take  ample 
vengeance  on  those  cruel  and  perfidious  enemies  who 
had  so  despitefully  treated  him. 

At  this  awful  period,  the  blessed  Jesus  was  in  the 
midst  of  his  sufferings ;  yet  when  he  saw  his  mother  and 
her  companions,  their  grief  greatly  affected  his  tender 
breast,  especially  the  distress  of  his  mother.  The  ago- 
nies of  death,  under  which  he  was  now  labouring,  could 
not  prevent  his  expressing  the  most  affectionate  regard 
both  for  her  and  for  them :  for  that  she  might  have  some 
consolation  to  support  her  under  the  greatness  of  her 
sorrows,  he  told  her,  the  disciple  whom  he  loved,  would 
for  the  sake  of  that  love,  supply  his  place  to  her  after 
he  was  taken  from  them,  even  the  place  of  a  son;  and. 
therefore,  he  desired  her  to  consider  him  as  such,  and 
expect  from  him  all  the  duties  of  a  child  :  Wornarij  said 
he,  behold  thij  son! 


Llll-:  OF  CHRISTo  or 

This  remarkable  token  of  filial  affection  towards  his 
mother,  was  not  the  only  instance  the  cly ini^  Jesus  gave 
of  his  sincere  love  for  his  friends  and  followers;  the 
beloved  disciple  had  also  a  token  of  his  high  esteem  : 
he  singled  him  out  as  the  only  ^x^rson  among  his  friends, 
to  supply  his  place  with  regard  to  his  mother.  Accord- 
ingly, he  desired  him  expressly  to  reverence  her  in  the 
same  manner  as  if  she  had  been  his  own  parent:  a  duty 
\vhich  the  favourite  disciple  gladly  undertook;  for  he 
carried  her  widi  him  to  his  house,  and  maintained  her 
from  that  hour,  to  the  day  of  her  death;  her  husband 
Joseph  having  been  dead  som.c  time  before. 

We  have  now  before  us  an  evident  proof,  that  in  the 
midst  of  the  heaviest  sufferings  human  nature  ever 
sustained,  the  blessed  Jesus  demonstrated  a  divine 
strength  of  benevolence ;  even  at  the  time  when  his 
own  distress  was  at  the  highest  pitch,  and  nature  was 
dressed  in  the  robe  of  mourning  for  the  sufferings  of 
her  great  Creator :  his  friends  had  so  large  a  share  of 
his  concern,  that  their  happiness  interrupted  the  sharp- 
ness of  his  pains,  and  for  a  short  time  engrossed  his 
thoughts. 

Now  the  moment  when  Jesus  should  resign  his  souf 
into  the  hands  of  his  heavenly  Father,  approached,  and 
he  repeated  part  of  the  twenty-second  Psalm,  uttering 
with  a  loud  voice,  these  remarkable  words,  £/oi,  Etoi, 
lama  sabacthani?  that  is,  My  God,  Mif  God,  why 
hast  thou  forsaken  me?  Or,  My  God,  My  God,  how 
long  a  time  hast  thou  forsaken  vie!  as  the  words  may 
be  rendered. 

It  is  believed  by  some,  that  our  blessed  Saviour  re- 
peated the  whole  Psalm,  as  it  was  customary  with  the 
Jews,  in  making  quotations,  to  mention  only  the  first 
words  of  the  Psalm  or  section  v/hich  they  cite.  If  so, 
as  this  Psalm  contains  the  most  remarkable  particulars 
of  our  Redeemer's  passion,  being  as  it  were  a  summa- 
ly  of  all  the  prophecies  relative  to  that  subject,  by  r.> 
VOL.  ii.  H 


5-8  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

peating  it  on  the  cross,  the  blessed  Jesus  si^iified  that 
he  was  now  accomplishing  the  things  that  were  pre- 
dicted concerning  the  Messiah.  And  as  the  Psalm  is 
composed  in  the  form  of  a  prayer,  by  pronouncing  it 
at  this  time,  he  also  claimed  of  his  Father,  the  per- 
formance of  all  the  promises  he  had  made,  whether  to 
him  or  to  his  people;  the  ehief  of  which  are  recorded 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  Psalm  above  mentioned. 

When  some  of  the  people,  who  stood  by,  heard  our 
blessed  Saviour  pronounce  the  first  words  of  this  Psalm, 
they  misunderstood  him,  probably  from  their  not  hear- 
ing him  distinctly,  and  concluded  that  he  called  for 
Etias;  upon  which  one  of  them  filled  a  spunge  with 
vinegar,  put  it  on  a  reed,  and  gave  him  to  drink,  being 
desirous  of  keeping  him  alive  as  long  as  possible,  to 
see  vv^hether  Elias  would  come  to  take  him  down  from 
the  cross.  But  as  soon  as  Jesus  had  tasted  the  vin- 
egar, he  said,  It  is  JiJiished:  that  is,  the  work  of 
man's  redemption  is  accomplished;  that  great  work 
which  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God  came  into  the 
world  to  perform,  is  finished.  In  speaking  these  words, 
he  cried  with  an  exceeding  loud  voice,  and  after  that, 
he  addressed  his  Almighty  Father  in  words  which  form 
the  best  pattern  of  recommendatory  prayer  at  the  hour 
of  death;  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit; 
and  having  uttered  these  w^ords,  he  bowed  his  head, 
and  yielded  up  the  ghost. 

At  the  very  instant  that  the  blessed  Jesus  resigned 
his  soul  into  the  hands  of  his  heavenly  Father,  behold, 
the  veil  of  the  temple  was  miraculously  rent  from  the 
top  to  the  bottom:  probably  in  the  presence  of  the 
priest  who  burnt  incense  in  the  holy  place,  and  who 
doubtless  published  the  account  when  he  came  out  -. 
for  our  blessed  Saviour  expired  at  the  ninth  hour,  the 
very  time  of  oiR^ring  the  evening  sacrifice.  Nor  was 
this  the  only  miracle  that  happened  at  the  death  of  the 
great  Messiah ;  no,  the  earth  trembled  from  its  very 
ioundations,  the  fiintv  rocks  burst  asunder,  and  the  se- 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  59 

pulchres  hewn  in  them  were  opened,  and  many  bodies    ^ 
of  saints  deposited  there,  awaked  after  liis  resurrection    ^ 
from  the   sleep  of  death,  left  the  gloomy  chambers  of 
the  tomb,  went  into  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  and  appear- 
ed unto  many.  In  all  probability  these  saints  a\  ere  dis 
ciples  of  our  blessed  Sa\'iour,  who  had  but  lately  pass- 
ed through  the  %'alley  of  the  shadow  of  death;    for 
when  they  went  into  the  city,  they  were  kno\vn  to  be 
saints  by  the  persons  who  saw  them,  which  could  not 
well  have  happened  if  they  had  not  been  cotemporaries 
with  them.  ^ 

As  the  rending  of  the  veil  of  the  temple  intimated^ 
that  the  entrance  into  the  holy  place,  the  type  of  hea- 
ven, was  now  laid  open  to  all  nations ;  so  the  resurrec- 
tion of  a  number  of  saints  from  the  dead,  demonstrat- 
ed that  the  power  of  death  and  the  grave  was  broken  : 
the  sting  was  taken  from  death,  and  the  victory  wrested 
from  the  grave.  In  short,  our  dear  Redeemer's  conquests 
over  the  enemies  of  mankind,  "were  shewn  to  be  com- 
plete, and  an  earnest  was  given  of  the  general  resur- 
rection. 

The  remarkable  events  which  attended  that  awful 
period  when  Jesus  gave  up  the  ghost,  did  not  only  af- 
fect the  natives  of  Judea,  but  the  Roman  centurion, 
who  was  placed  near  the  cross,  to  prevent  disorders  of 
any  kind,  glorified  the  Almighty,  and  cried  out,  Truly 
this  man  was  the  Son  of  God.  And  all  the  people  when 
they  beheld  heaven  itself  bearing  witness  of  the  truth 
of  our  great  Redeemer's  mission,  smote  their  breasts 
and  returned.  They  had  been  instant  with  loud  voices 
lo  have  him  crucified;  but  when  they  saw  the  face  of  the 
creation  wrapt  in  the  gloomy  mantle  of  darkness  dur- 
ing his  crucifixion,  and  found  his  death  accompanied 
\\\\h  an  earthquake,  as  if  nature  had  been  in  agony 
when  he  died,  they  rightly  interpreted  these  prodigies 
to  be  so  many  testimonies  from  the  Almighty  of  his  in- 
nocence, and  their  passions  which  had  been  iiiflamed 
and  exasperated  against  him,  became  quite  calm,  or 
^^.xerted  in  his  behajf, 


60  IJEW  AND  COMPLETE 


^  Some  tv'ere  angry  with  themselves  for  neglecting  the 
m  opportunity  the  governor  gave  them  of  saving  his  life ; 
some  were  stung  with  remorse  for  having  been  active 
in  procuring  Pilate  to  condemn  him,  and  even  offering 
the  most  bitter  insults,  while  he  laboured  under  the  cru- 
ellest of  sufferings;  and  others  were  deeply  affected  at 
beholding  the  pains  he  had  suffered,  which  were  as  se- 
vere as  they  were  undeserved.  These  various  passions 
being  \'isibly  painted  in  their  countenances,  afforded  a 
melancholy  spectacle;  the  whole  multitude  returning 
from  the  cruel  execution,  with  their  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  earth,  pensive  and  silent;  their  hearts  ready  to  burst 
with  grief,  groaning  deeply  within  themselves,  shed- 
ding floods  of  tears,  and  smiting  on  their  breasts,  to 
testify  their  sorrow, 

>  < 

It  is. observable  that  the  grief  they  now  felt  for  the 
blessed  Jesus  was  distinguished,  from  their  former 
rage  against  him  by  this  remarkable  particular,  that 
their  rage  was  entirely  owing  to  the  artful  insinuations 
of  the  priests ;  whereas  their  grief  was  the  genuine,  the 
natural  feeling  of  their  own  hearts,  greatly  affected  with 
the  truth  and  innocence  of  him  who  was  the  object  of 
their  commiseration :  and  as  flattery  had  no  share  in 
this  mourning,  so  the  expressions  of  their  sorrow  was 
such  as  became  a  real,  an  unfeigned  passion.  Nor  was 
this  unaffected  mourning  shewn  by  only  a  few  persons, 
who  might  have  been  represented  as  the  particular 
friends  of  the  suffering  Jesus;  no,  it  was  the  general 
condition  of  the  people  who  had  repaired  to  Calvary,  in 
order  to  behold  the  crucifixion  of  our  dear  Redeemer, 
that  when  they  parted  after  he  had  given  up  the  ghost, 
they  covered  the  roads,  and,  as  it  weje.  dcu'kened  all  the 
surrounding  country. 


LtFE  OF  CHRIST.         .  «l 

m 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

J  Ro7nan  Soldier  thiirsts  his  spear  into  our  Saviour's 
Side:  Joseph  ofArimathea  comes  to  Pilate^  and  begs 
of  him  the  Body  q/"  Jesus. 


Y  the  law  of  Moses,  it  was  expressly  forbidden  thai 

the  bodies  of  those  who  were  hanged  should  remain  all 
night  on  the  tree.     In  conformity  to  this  law,  and  be- 
cause the  Sabbath  was  at  hand,  the  Jews  begged  the 
governor  that  the  legs  of  the  three  persons  crucified 
might  be  broken  to  hasten  their  death.  To  this  request 
Pilate  readily  consented ;  and  accordingly  gave  the  ne- 
cessary orders  to  the  soldiers  to  put  it  in  execution:  but 
on  perceiving  that  Jesus  was  already  dead,  the  soldiers 
did  not  give  themselves  the  trouble  of  breaking  his  legs, 
as  they  had  done  those  of  the  two  malefactors  that  were 
crucified  with  him.  One  of  them,  however,  either  out 
of  wantonness  or  cruelty,  thrust  a  spear  into  his  side, 
and  out  of  the  wound  flowed  blood  and  water.  Some 
suppose  that  the  spear  reached  his  heart;  but  however 
that  be,  it  is  certain,  from  the  water  which  issued  from 
the  wound,  that  he  pierced  the  pericardium  ;  and  con- 
sequently must  have  killed  him,  had  he  not  before  been 
deprived  of  life. 

It  was  of  the  greatest  importance  to  mankind  that 
this  wound  was  given,  for  it  abundantly  demonstrated 
the  truth  of  our  Saviour's  death,  and  consequently  pre- 
vented all  objections  that  the  enemies  to  our  holy  faith 
would  otherwise  have  raised  against  it.  The  evangelist 
adds,  that  the  legs  of  our  great  Redeemer  were  not 
broken,  but  his  side  pierced,  that  two  particular  prophe- 
cies might  be  fulfilled:  A  hone  of  him  shall  ?iot  he  bro- 
ken; and  they  shall  look  on  him  whom  they  have  pierc- 
ed, and  be  convinced  of  the  horrid  impiety  of  the  deed, 
as  many  of  them  afterwards  were,  on  the  preaching  of 
Peter, 


62  i^EW  AND  COMPLETE 


There  was  a  person  amongst  the  disciples  of  the 
blessed  Jesus,  called  Joseph  of  Arimathea;  he  was 
equally  remarkable  for  his  birth,  fortune,  and  office. 
This  man,  who  was  not  to  be  intimidated  by  the  malice 
of  his  countrymen,  went  boldly  to  Pilate,  and  begged 
the  body  of  his  great  Master  :  he  had  indeed  nothing 
to  fear  from  the  Roman  go^'ernor,  who,  during  the 
whole  course  of  our  Saviour's  trial  had  shewn  the  great- 
est  inclination  to  release  him;  but  he  had  reason  to  ap- 
prehend, that  this  action  might  draw  upon  him  the  ma- 
lice of  the  rulers  of  the  Jews,  who  had  taken  such 
great  pains  to  get  their  Messiah  crucified.  The  great 
regard,  however,  he  had  for  the  remains  of  his  Master, 
made  him  despise  the  malice  of  the  Jews,  being  per- 
suaded that  Omnipotence  would  defend  him,  and  cov- 
er his  enemies  with  shame  and  confusion:  and  he 
well  knew,  that  if  no  friend  procured  a  grant  of  the  bo- 
dy, it  would  be  ignominiously  cast  out  amongst  the 
executed  malefactors,  and  perhaps  be  exposed  to  many 
indignities. 

The  governor  was  at  first  surprised  at  the  request  of 
Joseph,  thinking  it  highly  improbable  that  he  should  be 
dead  in  so  short  a  time.  He  had  indeed  given  orders 
for  tlie  soldiers  to  break  the  legs  of  the  crucified  per- 
sons ;  but  he  knew  it  was  not  uncommon  for  them  to 
live  many  hours  after  that  operation  was  performed: 
for  though  the  pain  it  left  must  be  exquisite  in  the  last 
degree,  yet  as  the  vital  parts  remained  untouched,  life 
would  continue  some  time  in  the  miserable  bod}\  Pi- 
late, therefore,  called  the  centurion  to  know  the  truth  of 
what  Joseph  had  told  him ;  and  being  convinced,  from 
the  answer  of  that  officer,  that  Jesus  had  been  dead 
some  time,  he  readily  granted  the  request. 

Having  obtained  his  desire,  this  worthy  counccllor 
repaired  to  mount  Calvary  ;  and  being  assisted  by  Ni- 
codemus,  took  the  body  down  from  the  cross.  The 
latter  was  formerly  so  cautious  in  visiting  Jesus,  that 
he  came  to  him  by  night;  but  in  paying  the  last  duties 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.      ..  6S 

.'^  # 

to  hi^Sffster,  he  used  no  art  to  conceal  his  design  :  he 
shewed  a  courage  far  superior  to  that  of  any  of  the 
apostles  ;  not  only  assisting  Joseph  in  taking  down  the 
body  of  Jesus  from  the  cross,  but  bringing  with  him  a 
quantity  of  spices  necessary  in  the  burial  of  his  Saviour. 
Accordingly,  they  \\  rapt  the  body,  witli  the  spices,  in 
fme  linen,  and  laid  it  in  a  ne^v  sepulchre  which  Jo- 
seph had  hewn  out  of  a  rock  for  himself.  This  sep- 
ulchre was  situated  in  a  garden  near  mount  Calvary  ; 
but  being  not  entirely  finished  when  they  deposited  in 
it  the  body  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  they  fastened  the  en- 
trance by  rolling  a  very  large  stone  upon  it. 

What  a  wonderful  spectacle  was  now  exhibited  in 
this  memorable  sepulchre  !  He  who  clothes  himself 
with  hght,  as  with  a  garment,  and  walks  upon  the  wings 
of  the  wind,  \^^as  pleased  to  wear  the  habiliments  of 
mortality,  and  dwell  amongst  the  prostrate  dead  !  Who 
can  repeat  the  wondrous  truth  too  often!  Who  can  dwell 
upon  the  enchanting  theme  too  long !  He  who  sits  en- 
throned in  glory,  and  diffuses  bliss  amongst  all  the  hea- 
venly host,  was  once  a  pale  and  bloody  corpse,  and 
pressed  the  floor  of  this  little  sepulchre  !  Wonder,  O 
heavens,  and  be  astonished,  O  earth  ! 

In  that  solemn  hour  how  great  was  thy  triumph,  O 
death  ?  never  did  thy  gloomy  realms  contain  such  a 
prisoner  before. — Prisoner  did  I  say  ?  No,  he  was  more 
than  conqueror.  He  arose  far  more  mightily  than 
Sampson  from  a  transient  slumber  ;  broke  down  the 
gates,  and  demolished  the  strong  holds  of  those  dark 
dominions.  And  this,  O  mortals,  is  your  consolation 
and  security !  Jesus  has  trod  the  dreadful  path,  and 
smoothed  it  for  your  passage.  Jesus,  sleeping  in  the 
chambers  of  the  tomb,  has  brightened  the  dismal  man- 
sion, and  left  an  hiviting  odour  in  those  beds  of  dust. 
The  dying  Jesus  is  your  sure  protection,  your  unques- 
tionable passport  through  the  territories  of  the  grave. 
Believe  in  him  with  all  your  hearts,  and  love  and  obey 
him,  and  you  will  find  him  the  high  ^vay  to  Sion  : 


o4  NEW  a:^d  complete 

he  will  transmit  you  safe  to  paradise.  Believeih  him, 
and  you  shall  be  no  losers,  but  unspeakable  gainers  by 
your  dissolution.  For  hear  what  the  oracle  of  heaven 
says  on  this  important  point :  *  Whoso  believeth  in 
me,  shall  never  die.'  Death  shall  no  longer  be  inflicted 
as  a  punishment,  but  rather  vouchsafed  as  a  blessing. 
Their  exit  is  the  end  of  their  frailty,  ?nd  their  entrance 
upon  perfection  :  their  last  groan  is  the  prelude  to  life, 
immortality,  and  joy. 

The  v/omen  of  Galilee,  who  had  watched  their  dear 
Redeemer  in  his  last  moments,  and  accompanied  his 
body  to  the  sepulchre,  observing  that  the  funeral  rites 
V.  ere  performed  in  a  hurry,  agreed  among  themselves 
as  soon  as  the  sabbath  was  passed,  to  return  to  the  se- 
pulchre, and  embalm  the  body  of  their  great  Saviour,, 
by  anointing  and  swathing  him  in  the  manner  then  com- 
mon amongst  the  Jews.  Accordingly,  they  returned 
to  the  city,  and  purchased  the  spices  necessary  for  that 
purpose  ;  Nicodemus  having  furnished  only  a  mixture 
of  myrrh  and  aloes  for  the  above  end. 

The  chief  priests  and  Pharisees,  during  these  trans- 
actions, remembering  that  Jesus  had  more  than  once 
predicted  his  own  resurrection,  came  to  the  governor, 
and  informed  him  of  it ;  begging  at  the  same  time, 
that  a  guard  might  be  placed  at  the  sepulchre,  lest  his 
disciples  should  carry  away  the  body,  and  aflirm  that  he 
was  risen  from  the  dead.  This  happened  a  little  be- 
fore it  was  dark  in  the  evening,  called  by  the  Evangel- 
ist the  next  day,  because  the  Jews  began  their  day  at 
sunset.  This  request  being  thought  reasonable  by  Pi- 
late, he  gave  them  leave  to  take  as  many  soldiers  as 
ihey  pleased  out  of  the  cohort,  which  at  the  feast  came 
from  the  castle  Antonia,  and  kept  guard  in  the  porti- 
coes of  the  temple.  That  they  were  not  Jewish  but 
Roman  soldiers  whom  the  priests  employed  to  watch 
the  sepulchre,  is  evident  from  their  asking  them  of  the 

i^overnor  :   besides,  when  the   soldiers  returned  with 

•  •  •         1 

the  news  of  oiu'  Saviour's  resurrection,  the  priests  de^ 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  65 

sired  them  to  report  that  his  disciples  had  stolen  hiiri 
away  while  they  slept ;  and  to  encourage  them  to  tell 
that  falsehood  boldly,  promised  that  if  their  neglect  of 
duty  came  to  the  governor's  ears,  proper  methods 
should  be  used  to  pacify  him,  and  deliver  them  from 
any  punishment :  a  promise  whicli  there  was  no  need 
of  making  to  servants  uiwler  their  own  immediate  com- 
mand. 

Now  the  priests  having  thus  obtained  a  guard  of  Ro- 
man soldiers,  men,  long  accustomed  to  military  duties, 
and  therefore  most  proper  for  watching  the  body,  set 
out  with  them  to  the  sepulchre ;  and  to  prevent  these 
guards  from  combining  with  the  disciples  in  carrying 
on  any  fraud,  placed  them  at  their  post,  and  sealed  the 
stone  which  was  rolled  to  the  door  of  the  sepulchre. 
Thus,  whilst  the  priests  cautiously  proposed  to  pre- 
vent the  resurrection  of  our  great  Redeemer  from  being 
palmed  upon  the  w^orld,  and  doubtless  intended,  after 
the  third  day  was  past,  to  shew  his  body  publicly  as 
an  impostor,  they  placed  the  truth  of  this  stupenduous 
miracle  beyond  all  doubt,  by  furnishing  a  number  of 
unexceptionable  witnesses  to  it  whose  testimony  they 
themselves  could  not  refuse  or  gainsay,  and  thejefore 
attempted  to  sti!le  it. 


VOL.  IK 


€^  J^'EW  ANi)  COMPLETE 


CHAPTER  XL. 


Mary  Alagdalene^  and  the  other  Marij^  go  out  to  view 
the  Sepulchre^  and  bring  Spices  to  embalm  the  body 
of  Jesus :  A  great  earthquake  accompanies  the  re- 
surrection :  An  angel  descends^  and  Jesus  rises  from 
the  Dead:  The  behaviour  of  the  Jewish  rulers  there- 
upon. 

After  the  Sabbath,  Mary  Magdalene,  and  the 
other  Mary,  came  very  early  in  the  morning  to  visit 
the  sepulchre,  in  order  to  embalm  our  Lord's  body  : 
for  the  performance  of  which  they  had,  in  concert 
with  several  other  women  from  Galilee,  brought  ungu- 
ents and  spices.  But  before  they  reached  the  sepul- 
chre,  there  was  a  great  earthquake  preceding  the  most 
memorable  event  that  ever  happened  amongst  the  chil- 
dren of  men,  the  resurrection  of  the  Son  of  God  from 
the  dead :  For  the  angel  of  the  Lord  descended  from 
heaven,  aud  came  and  rolled  back  the  stone  from  the 
door  of  the  sepulchre  and  sat  upon  it :  his  countenance 
was  like  lightnings  and  his  raiment  white  as  snow  :  and 
for  fear  of  him  the  keepers  did  shake,  ajid  became  as 
dead  meji ;  they  fled  into  the  city  and  the  Saviour  of 
the  world  rose  from  the  dead.  The  angel,  who  had 
till  then  sat  upon  the  stone  quitted  his  station,  entered 
into  the  sepulchre,  and  probably  placed  the  linen  clothes 
and  napkin  in  the  order  they  were  afterwards  found 
and  observed  by  John  and  Peter. 

In  the  mean  time,  Mary  Magdalene  and  the  other 
Mary  were  still  on  their  way  to  the  sepulchre,  together 
with  Salome,,  who  joined  them  on  the  road ;  as  they 
proceeded  on  their  way,  they  consulted  amongst  them- 
selves with  regard  to  the  method  of  putting  their  inten- 
tion of  embalming  the  body  of  their  beloved  master 
in  execution ;  particularly  with  respect  to  the  enor- 
mous stone  which  they  had  seen  placed  there  ^^  ith  the 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  67 

utmost  difficulty  two  days  before  :  TFho^  said  they,  sJiall 
roll  us  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepulchre? 
for  it  xvas  very  great.  But  in  the  midst  of  their  delib- 
eration about  removing  this  great  and  sole  obstacle  to 
their  design  (for  it  does  not  appear  they  knew  any  thing 
of  the  guard)  they  lift  up  their  eyes,  and  perceived  it 
was  already  rolled  away  :  alarn;ied  at  so  extraordinary 
and  so  unexpected  a  circumstance,  Mary  Magdalene 
concluded,  that  the  stone  could  not  be  rolled  away  witli- 
out  some  design ;  and  that  they  who  rolled  it  away 
could  have  no  other  design  than  that  of  removing  our 
Lord's  body :  and  being  convinced  by  appearances 
that  they  'had  really  done  so,  she  ran  immediately  to 
acquaint  Peter  and  John  of  what  she  had  seen,  and  what 
she  suspected ;  leaving  Mary  and  Salome  tliere,  that 
if  the  other  women  should  arrive  during  her  absence, 
they  might  acquaint  them  with  their  surprise  at  finding 
the  stone  rem.oved,  and  of  Mary  Magdalene's  runjiing 
to  inform  the  apostles  of  tlie  extraordinary  event. 

The  soldiers  who  were  terrified  at  seeing  aji  awful 
messenger  from  on  high,  roll  away  the  stone  from  the 
door  of  the  sepulchre,  and  open  it  in  quality  of  a  ser^ 
'iant,  fled  into  the  city,  and  informed  the  Jewish  rulers 
of  these  miraculous  appearances.  This  account  was 
highly  mortifying  to  the  chief  priests,  as  it  was  a  proof 
of  our  Saviour's  resurrection  that  could  not  be  denied; 
they  therefore  resolved  to  stifle  it  immediately ;  and  ac- 
cordingly, bribed  the  soldiers  to  conceal  the  real  fact, 
and  to  publish  every  where,  that  his  disciples  had  stolen 
the  body  out  of  the  sepulchre.  What !  the  body  taken 
away  while  the  sepulchre  was  guarded  by  Roman  sol- 
diers ?  Yes !  the  disciples  stole  the  body  while  the 
soldiers  slept.  A  story  so  inconsistent,  and  which  so 
evidently  cai'ries  the  marks  of  its  own  confutation  with 
it,  deserves  no  answer-  The  priests  themselves  could 
not  be  so  stupid  as  not  to  foresee  what  construction  the 
world  would  put  upon  the  relation  of  persons,  who  pre- 
tend to  kno^v  and  tell  what  was  done  while  they  wciy 
asleep,  and  in  a  state  of  inseiisibility. 


NEW  AND  COMPLETE 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


^fhe  Speech  of  the  Angel  to  the  JFomen^  hifo7*ming  them 
that  Jesus  was  risen:  Peter  and  John  go  into  the 
Sepulchre:  Christ  appears  to  Mary  Magdalene  : 
The  company  of  Women  set  out  a  second  Time  in- 
Quest  of  Peter  and  John :  Jesus  meets  them :  Ma- 
ry Magdalene  and  the  company  of  Women  return 
from  their  several  Interviews  ivith  Jesus:  Peter 
runs  to  the  Sepulchre  a  second  Time^  arid  as  he  re- 
turns sees  his  great  Lord  and  Master, 

XlLFTER  Mary  Magdalene  was  gone  to  inform  the 
disciples  that  the  stone  was  rolled  away  from  the  mouth 
of  the  sepulchre,  and  the  supposed  body  taken  away, 
INIary  and  Salome  drew  near  towards  the  sepulchre,  and 
at  their  aiTival  found  what  they  expected,  the  body  of 
their  beloved  Master  gone  from  the  place  where  it  had 
been  deposited  b^  Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of  Arima- 
thea;  but  at  the^same  time  beheld,  to  their  great  aston- 
ishment, a  beautiful  young  man,  in  shining  raiment, 
very  glorious  to  behold,  sitting  at  the  right  side  of  the 
^sepulchre.  Matthew  tells  us,  that  it  was  the  angel  who 
had  rolled  awa)^  the  stone,  and  frightened  away  the 
guards  from  the  sepulchre.  It  seems  he  had  now  laid 
aside  his  terrors  in  which  he  was  then  arrayed,  and  as- 
sumed the  form  and  dress  of  a  human  being,  in  order 
that  these  pious  women,  "who  had  accompanied  him  dur- 
ing the  greatest  part  of  the  time  of  his  public  ministry, 
might  not  be  terrified :  but,  notwithstanding  his  beauty 
and  benign  appearance,  they  were  greatly  affrighted, 
and  on  the  point  of  turning  back  when  the  heavenly  mes- 
senger, to  banish  their  fears,  told  them,  in  a  gentle  ac- 
cent, that  he  knew  their  errand :  P^ear  not^  said  he ;  for 
I  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus,  which  was  cnwified.  He  is 
710 1  here  ;  for  he  i$  risen,  as  he  said:  and  then  invited 
them  to  come  down  into  the  sepulchre,  and  view  the 
place  where  the  Son  of  God  had  lain ;  that  is,  to  look 
on  the  linen  clothes,  and  the  napkin  that  was  about  his 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  69 

liead,  and  which  he  had  left  behhid  him  when  he  rose 
from  the  dead  :  for  to  look  at  the  place  in  any  other 
view  would  not  have  tended  to  confirm  their  faith  of  his 
being  risen. 

Greatly  encouraged  by  the  agreeable  news,  as  well  as 
by  the  sweet  accent  with  which  this  messenger  from 
the  heavenly  Canaan  delivered  his  speech,  the  women 
went  down  into  the  sepulchre,  when  behold  another  of 
the  angelic  choir  appeared.  Probably  the  one  sat  at  the 
head  and  the  other  at  the  feet,  where  the  body  of  Jesus 
had  lain ;  the  position  in  which  they  appeared  to  Mary 
Magdalene  afterwards. 

However,  they  did  not  seem  to  give  credit  to  what 
was  told  them  by  the  angels  ;  and  therefore  the  other 
gently  chid  them  for  seeking  the  living  amongst  the 
dead,  with  an  intention  to  do  him  an  office  due  only  to 
the  latter,  and  for  not  believing  what  was  told  them  by 
a  messenger  from  heaven,  or  rather  for  not  remember- 
ing the  w^ords  which  their  great  Master  had  himself  told 
them  with  regard  to  his  own  resurrection :  Why  seek  ye 
the  hving  amongst  the  dead?  He  is  not  here,  but  is  risen  : 
remember  how  he  spake  unto  you  when  he  was  yet  in 
Galilee,  saying.  The  son  of  man  must  be  delivered  into 
the  hands  of  sinful  men,  and  be  crucified,  and  the  third 
day  rise  again. 

After  this,  when  the  women  had  satisfied  their  curi- 
osity by  looking  at  the  place  where  our  Lord  had  lain, 
and  where  nothing  was  to  be  found  but  the  linen  clothes, 
the  angel  who  first  appeared  to  them  resumed  the  dis- 
course, and  bade  them  to  go  and  tell  his  disciples,  par- 
ticularly Peter,  the  glad- tidings  of  his  resurrection  from 
the  dead ;  that  he  was  going  before  them  to  Galilee  ; 
and  that  they  should  there  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
him  in  person. 

The  disciples,  it  may  reasonably  be  supposed,  were 
ordered  to  go  into  Galilee  to  meet  their  great  and  be^ 


ro  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

loved  Master,  because  they  were  now  most  of  them  in 
Jerusalem,  celebrating  the  passover;  audit  may  easily 
be  imagined  that,  on  the  receiving  the  news  of  the 
Lord's  resurrection,  many,  if  not  all  of  them,  would 
resolve  to  tarry  in  Jerusalem,  in  expectation  of  meeting 
him  :  a  thing  which  must  have  proved  of  great  detri- 
ment to  them  at  that  time  of  the  year,  when  the  harvest 
was  about  to  begin,  the  sheaf  of  first  fruits  being  always 
offered  on  the  second  day  of  the  passover-week.  In 
order  therefore  to  prevent  their  staying  so  long  from 
home,  the  message  was  sent  directing  them  to  return 
to  Galilee,  with  full  assurance,  that  they  should  there 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  their  great  Lord  and  Mas- 
ter; and  by  that  means  be  happily  relieved  from  the 
suspicion  of  his  being  an  impostor,  which  doubtless 
had  arisen  in  their  minds,  when  they  saw  him  expire  on 
the  cross.  Hereupon  the  women,  highly  elated  with 
the  news  of  their  Lord's  resurrection,  left  the  sepul- 
chre immediately,  and  ran  to  carry  the  disciples  these 
glad-tidings. 

In  the  mean  time,  Peter  and  John,  having  been  in» 
formed  by  Mary  Magdalene,  that  the  stone  was  rolled 
away,  and  the  body  of  Jesus  not  to  be  found,  were 
hastening  to  the  grave,  and  missed  the  women  who  had 
seen  this  vision  of  angels.  These  disciples  being  asto- 
nished at  what  Mary  Magdalene  had  told  them,  and  de- 
sirous of  having  their  doubts  cleared  up,  made  all  the 
haste  possible  to  the  sepulchre  ;  and  John  being  young- 
er than  Peter,  arrived  at  the  sepulchre  first,  but  did  not 
go  in,  contenting  himself  with  stooping  down  and  see- 
ing the  linen  clothes  lying  which  had  been  wrapped  about 
our  Saviour's  body.  Peter  soon  arrived,  and  went  into 
the  sepulchre,  where  he  saw  the  lineii  clothes  lie ;  and 
the  napkin  that  was  about  his  head^  not  lying  with  the 
linen  clothes^  but  wrapped  together  in  a  place  by  itself. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  some,  that  our  dear  Redeemer 
folded  up  the  napkin,  to  shew  the  perfect  calmness  and 
composure  with  which  [he  arose,  as  out  of  a  common 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  rt 

sleep :  but  however  that  be,  it  is  certain  that  he  left  the 
grave  clothes  in  the  sepulchre,  to  shew  that  his  body 
was  not  stolen  away  by  his  disciples,  who  in  such  a 
case  would  not  have  taken  time  to  have  stripped  it :  be- 
sides, the  circumstance  of  the  grave  cloathes,  disposed 
the  disciples  themselves  to  believe,  when  the  resurrec- 
tion was  related  to  them ;  but  at  present  they  had  not  the 
least  suspicion  that  he  was  risen  from  the  dead,  as  the 
angels  had  affirmed. 

Having  thus  satisfied  themselves  that  what  Mary 
Magdalene  had  told  them  was  really  true,  those  two  dis- 
ciples returned  to  their  respective  habitations :  but  Ma- 
ry continued  weeping  at  the  door  of  the  sepulchre :  she 
had,  it  seems,  followed  Peter  and  John  to  the  garden, 
but  did  not  return  with  them,  being  anxious  to  find  the 
body ;  accordingly,  stepping  down  into  the  sepul- 
chre to  examine  it  once  more,  she  saw  two  anj^els  sit- 
ting,  the  one  at  the  head  and  the  other  at  the  feet,  where 
the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain.  They  were  now  in  the 
same  position,  as  when  they  appeared  to  the  other  wo- 
men ;  but  had  rendered  themselves  invisible  while  Pe- 
ter and  John  were  at  the  sepulchre,  seeking  our  Lord. 

Mary  beholding  these  heavenly  messengers  dressed 
in  the  robes  of  light,  was  greatly  terrified:  but  they, 
in  the  most  endearing  accent,  asked  her,  TFomaUy  why 
xveepest  thou  ?  To  which  she  answered.  Because  they 
have  taken  axvay  my  Lord^  and  I  know  not  where  they 
laid  him.  On  pronouncing  these  ^vords,  she  turned  her- 
self about,  and  saw  Jesus  standing  near  her;  but  the 
terror  she  was  in,  and  the  garments  in  which  he  was 
now  dressed,  prevented  her  from  knowing  him  for  some 
time.  Jesus  repeated  the  same  question  used  before  by 
the  angel.  Woman ^  why  weepest  thou?  To  which  Ma- 
ry who  now  supposed  him  to  be  the  gardener,  answered. 
Sir,  if  his  body  was  troublesome  in  the  sepulchre,  and 
thou  hast  removed  him,  tell  me  where  he  is  deposited, 
and  I  will  take  him  away.  But  our  blessed  Saviour 
willing  to  remove  her  anxiety,  called  her  by  her  name,. 


7%  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

with  his  usual  tone  of  voice.  On  which  she  immedi- 
ately knew  him ;  and  falling  down  before  him  would 
have  embraced  his  knees,  according  to  that  modesty 
and  rcA  erence  with  which  the  women  of  the  East  salut- 
ed the  men,  especially  those  who  were  their  superiors 
ill  station  and  dignity. 

Jesus  refused  this  compliment,  telling  her,  that  he 
was  not  going  immediately  into  heaven :  he  was  often 
to  shew  himself  to  his  disciples  before  he  ascended,  so 
that  she  would  have  frequent  opportunities  of  shewing 
her  regard  to  him :  and  at  the  same  time,  said  to  her, 
Go  to  my  brethren,  and  say  unto  them,  I  ascend  unto 
my  father,  and  your  father  ;  and  to  my  God,  and  your 
God,  Thuscjid  the  blessed  Jesus  contemplate  with  a 
singular  pleasure  the  work  of  redemption  he  had  just 
finished.  The  happy  relation  between  God  and  man 
which  had  been  long  cancelled  by  sin,  was  now  renew- 
ed: the  AlmiQ-htv,  who  had  disowned  them  on  account 
of  their  rebellion  was  again  reconciled  unto  them :  he 
was  become  their  God  and  Father:  'they  were  exalted 
to  the  honourable  relation  of  Christ's  brethren,  and 
the  sons  of  God ;  and  their  father  loved  them  with  an 
alFection  far  exceeding  that  of  the  most  tender-hearted 
parent  upon  earth. 

The  kindness  of  this  message  sent  by  our  dear  Re- 
deemer to  his  disciples,  w^ill  appear  above  all  praise,  if 
we  remember  their  late  behaviour;  they  had  every  one 
of  them  forsaken  him  in  his  greatest  extremity  when 
he  was  scourged  and  mocked  by  the  Roman  soldiers, 
derided  by  his  countrymen,  and  spitefully  entreated  by 
all,  they  hid  themselves  in  some  place  of  .safety,  and 
preferred  their  own  security  to  the  deliverance  of  their 
Master :  when  he  fainted  under  the  burden  of  the  cross, 
not  one  of  them  was  there  to  assist  him ;  Simon,  a  Cy- 
renian,  was  compelled  by  the  Roman  soldiers  to  ease 
him  of  his  pondrous  burden.  But  notwithstanding 
they  had  refused  to  assist  their  Master  during  his  suf- 
ferings for  the  sins  of  the  world,  he  graciously,  he  freely 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  rs 

for^^ave  them;  be  assured  them  of  their  pardon,  and 
even  called  them  by  the  endearing  name  of  brethren, 
notwithstanding  their  former  slighting  conduct. 

We  cannot  help  observing  that  there  is  something 
very  remarkable  in  this  part  of  the  history  :  none  of 
the  apostles  or  male  disciples  were  honoured  with  the 
first  visions  of  the  angels,  or  with  the  immediate 
news  of  the  resurrection  of  the  Son  of  God,  much 
less  with  the  appearance  of  Jesus  himself.  The  an- 
gels in  the  sepulchre  kept  themselves  invisible  all  the 
time  that  Peter  and  John  were  observing  the  linen 
clothes  and  satisfying  themselves  that  the  body  of 
their  Master  was  not  there  :  perhaps  the  male  disci- 
ples in  general  were  treated  with  this  mark  of  disre^ 
spect,  both  because  they  had,  with  shameful  coward- 
ice, forsaken  their  Master  when  he  was  betrayed  into 
the  hands  of  his  enemies,  and  because  their  faith  was 
•so  weak  that  they  had  absolutely  despaired  of  his  being 
the  Messiah,  when  they  saw  him  expire  on  the  cross: 
but  how  different  was  that  conduct  of  the  women! 
Laying  aside  the  weakness  and  timidity  natural  to 
their  sex,  they  shewed  an  uncommon  magnanimity  on 
this  melancholy  occasion;  for  in  contradiction  to  the 
whole  nation,  who,  with  one  voice  required  Jesus  to 
be  crucified  as  a  deceiver,  they  proclaimed  his  inno- 
cence by  tears?  cries,  and  lamentations,  when  they 
saw  him  led  forth  to  suffer  on  mount  Calvary  ;  accom- 
panied him  to  the  cross,  the  most  hifamous  of  all  pun- 
ishments; kindly  waited  on  him  in  his  expiring  mo- 
ments, giving  him  all  the  consolation  in  their  power, 
though  at  the  same  time  the  sight  of  his  sufferings 
pierced  them  to  the  heart ;  and  when  he  expired,  and 
was  carried  off,  they  accompanied  him" to  his  grave; 
not  despairing,  though  they  found  he  had  not  deliver- 
ed himself,  but  to  appearance  was  conquered  by  death 
the  universal  enemy  of  mankind.  Perhaps  these  pi- 
ous women  entertained  some  faint  hopes  that  he  would 
still  revive;  or,  if  they  did  not  entertain  expectations 
of  that  kind,  they  at  least  cherished  a  strong  degree 

VOL.  ii:  .  K. 


74  NEW  AND  COIVIPLETE 

of  love  for  their  Lord,  and  determined  to  do  him  all 
possible  honour. 

It  may  be  observed*  a  faith  so  remarkably  strorTg,  a 
love  so  ardent,  and  a  fortitude  so  unshaken,  could  not 
fail  of  receiving  distinguishing  tokens  of  the  divine 
approbation;  and  they  wgyg  accordingly  honoured  with 
the  nevi^s  of  Christ's  resurrection  before  the  male  dis- 
ciples had  their  eyes  cheered  with  the  first  sight  of  their 
beloved  Lord,  aftpr  he  arose  from  the  chambers  of  the 
grave  ;  so  that  they  preached  the  joyful  tidings  of  his 
resurrection  to  the  apostles  themselves.  But  there 
seems  to  have  been  other  reasons  why.  our  great  Re- 
deemer shewed  himself  first  to  the  women :  the 
thoughts  of  the  apostles  were  constantly  fixed  on  a 
temporal  kingdom,  and  they  had  wrested  all  his  words 
into  an  agreement  wMth  that  favourite  notion  ;  and 
whatever  they  could  not  construe  as  consonant  to  that 
opinion,  they  seemed  either  to  have  disbelieved  or  dis- 
regarded. 

Notwithstanding  Jesus  had  foretold  his  own  suffer- 
ing no  less  than  seven  different  times,  the  apostles 
were  astonished  above  measure  when  they  saw  him 
expire  on  the  cross.  Immortality  and  terrestrial  do- 
minion were,  according  to  their  notion,  the  character- 
istics of  the  Messiah  -,  for  which  reasen,  when  they 
found  that  instead  of  establishing  himself  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  univeiTsal  empire,  he  had  neither  deliv- 
ered himself  from  an  handful  of  enemies,  nor  even 
from  death,  they  gave  over  all  hopes  of  his  being  the 
Messiah  :  and  as  for  his  resurrection,  they  seem  not  to 
have  entertained  the  least  notion  of  it ;  so  that,  when 
the  news  of  this  great  event  was  brought  to  them, 
they  considered  it  as  an  idle  tale.  But  not  so  the  wo- 
men; they  were  more  submissive  to  their  Master's  in- 
structions, and  consequently  were  much  better  pre- 
pared for  seeing  him  after  his  resurrection  than  the 
apostles  :  for  though  they  did  not  expect  that  he  would 
rise  from'  the  *  dead,  yet  they  were  not  prejudiced 
against  it. 


iAi'E  OF  CliRTST.  fii 

The  apostles,  on  the  other  hand,  not^only  absolutely 
rejected  the  matter  at  first,  as  a  thing  incredible,  but 
even  afttr  they  were  acquainted  with  the  accounts 
the  soldiers  had  given  of  this  transaction  :  nay,  alter 
they  had  seen  the  blessed  Jesus  himself,  some  of  them 
were  so  unreasonable  as  still  to  doubt.  How  much 
rather  then  would  their  incredulity  have  led  them  to 
suspect  his  appearing  as  an  illusion,  had  he  shewed 
himself  to  them  !  These  reports  led  them  to  recollect 
the  arguments  proper  for  disposing  them  to  believe  ; 
particularly  the  prophecies  that  had  been  so  often  de- 
livered in  their  own  hearing,  concerning  his  resurrec- 
tion. Hence  the  angels,  when  they  told  this  event  to 
the  women,  and  desired  them  to  carry  the  news  of  it 
to  his  disciples,  put  them  in  mind  of  the  predictions 
Jesus  himself  had  made,  as  a  confirmation  of  it.  Hence 
we  also  see  the  reason  why  Jesus,  before  he  made 
himself  known  to  the  disciples  at  Emmaus,  prepared 
them  for  a  discovery,  by  expounding  to  them  on  the 
road,  the  several  prophecies  concerning  the  Messiah, 
contained  in  the  Old  Testament,  which  hitherto  they 
had  little  attended  to,  or  did  not  understand. 

The  company  oPwomen  we  have  observed,  return- 
ed to  the  city,  while  Peter,  John,  and  Mary  Magda- 
lene, were  at  the  sepulchre.  On  their  arrival  they  told 
as  many  of  the  disciples  as  they  could  find,  that  they 
had  seen  at  the  sepulchre  a  vision  of  angels,  who  as- 
sured them  that  Jesus  was  risen  from  the  dead.  This 
new  information  astonished  the  disciples  exceedingly  : 
and  as  they  had  before  sent  Peter  and  John  to  exam- 
ine into  the  truth  of  what  Mary  Magdalene  had  told 
them  concerning  the  body's  being  removed  out  of  the 
sepulchre,  so  they  now  judged  it  highly  proper  to  send 
some  of  their  number  to  see  the  angels,  and  learn 
from  them  the  joyful  tidings  ofthat  great  transaction  of 
wliich  the  women  had  given  them  an  account.  That 
this  was  really  the  case,  appears  from  what  the  disci- 
ples, in  their  journey  to  Emmaus,  told  their  great  Lord 
^-k1  Master;  namely  that  when  the  women  came  and 


76  MEW  AND  COMPLETE 

told  them  that  they  had  seen  a  vision  of  angels,  cer- 
tain of  their  number  went  to  the  sepulchre,  and  found 
it  even  as  the  women  had  said,  but  saw  not«jEsus. 

We  may  venture  to  affirm,  that  this  second  deputa- 
tion from  the  apostles  did  not  go  alone  ;  for  as  Mary 
Magdalene  returned  with  Peter  and  John,  who  w^ent 
to  examine  the  truth  of  her  information,  so  the  women 
who  brought  an  account  of  the  vision  of  angels,  in  all 
probability  returned  with  those  who  were  sent  to  be 
witnesses  of  the  truth  of  their  report :  besides  curiosity 
they  had  an  errand  thither.  The  angels  had  expressly 
ordered  them  to  tell  the  new^s  to  Peter  in  particular; 
for  which  reason,  when  they  understood  that  he  was 
gone  to  the  sepulchre,  it  is  natural  to  think  they  w^ould 
return  with  the  disciples  to  seek  him.  About  the  time 
that  the  disciples  and  women  set  out  for  the  sepul- 
chre, Peter  and  John  reached  the  city,  but  passing 
through  a  different  street  did  not  meet  their  brethren 
in  the  way. 

Having  a  great  desire  to  reach  the  sepulchre,  the 
disciples  soon  left  the  women  behind,  and  just  as  they 
arrived,  Mary  Magdalene  having  seen  the  Lord,  was 
coming  away  ;  but  they  did  not  meet  her,  because 
they  entered  the  garden  at  one  door,  while  she  was 
coming  out  at  an  another.  When  they  came  to  the  sep- 
ulchre, they  saw^  the  angels,  and  received  from  them 
the  news  of  their  blessed  Master's  resurrection  ,  for 
St.  Luke  tells  us,  theyfoimd  it  even  as  the  women  had 
said.  Highly  elated  with  their  success,  they  departed 
and  ran  back  to  the  city,  with  such  expedition,  that 
they  gave  an  account  of  what  they  had  seen  in  the 
hearing  of  the  two  disciples,  before  Mary  Magdalene 
arrived.  Nor  will  their  speed  appear  at  all  incredible 
if  we  consider  that  the  nature  of  the  tidings  the  apos- 
tles had  to  carry  gave  them  wings,  as  it  were,  to  m.ake 
their  brethren  partakers  of  their  joy  at  this  surprising 
event. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  V 

The  comply  of  women  who  followed  the  disci- 
ples, happening,  in  the  mean  time,  to  meet  Peter 
and  John,  went  forward  in  quest  of  them  :  but  they 
had  not  gone  far  from  the  sepulchre,  before  Jesus 
himself  met  them,  and  said,  Alt  hail !  On  which  they 
approached  their  great  Lord  and  Master,  held  him  by 
thejett  and  zvorshipped  him.  This  favour  of  embrac- 
ing his  knees,  Jesus  had  before  refused  to  Mary  Mag- 
dalene, because  it  was  not  then  necessary  ;  but  he 
granted  it  to  the  women,  because  the  angel's  words 
having  strongly  impressed  theirmindswith  the  notion  of 
his  resurrection,  they  might  have  taken  his  appearance 
for  an  illusion  of  their  own  imagination,  had  he  not 
permitted  them  to  handle  him,  and  convince  them- 
selves by  united  reports  of  their  senses  ;  besides,  if  our 
Lord  intended  that  Mary  Magdaleife  should  go  away 
as  fast  as  possible,  and  publish  the  news,  he  might 
hinder  her  from  embracing  his  knees,  to  prevent  her 
loosing  any  time  before  she  returned. 

These  pious  women  having  tarried  some  time  with 
Jesus  on  the  road,  did  not  arrive  with  the  joyful  ti- 
dings of  their  great  Master's  resurrection,  till  some 
time  after  Peter  and  John  ;  and  perhaps  were  over- 
taken by  Mary  Magdalene  on  the  road,  unless  we  sup- 
pose that  she  arrived  a  few  minutes  before  them.  But 
be  that  as  it  may,  this  is  certain,  that  they  arrived  ei- 
ther at  or  near  the  same  time;  so  that  their  accounts 
of  this  miraculous  event  tended  to  confirm  each  other's 
belief  of  it. 

The  relation  of  the  women  having  filled  the  disci- 
ples with  astonishment,  they  considered  the  account 
they  had  before  given  them,  ot  their  having  seen  a  vi- 
sion of  angels,  as  an  idle  tale,  and  now  they  stem  to 
have  considered  this  as'  something  worse  ;  for  the 
evangelist  tells  us,  theij  believed  not.  Peter,  indeed, 
to  whom  the  angel  sent  the  message,  w^as  disposed  by 
his  sanguine  temper  to  give  a  little  more  credit  to  their 
words  than  the  rest :  possibly  because  the  messengers 


rs  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

from  the  heavenly  Canaan,  had  done  ]||m  the  honour , 
of  naming  him  in  particular.  Elated  with  the  respect 
paid  him  in  particular,  he  immediately  repaired  again 
to  the  sepulchre;  hoping,  in  all  probability,  that  his 
Master  would  appear  to  him,  or  at  least  the  angel, 
who  had  so  particularly  distinguished  him  from  the 
rest  of  his  brethren. 

When  Peter  arrived  at  the  sepulchre,  he  stooped 
down;  and  seeing  the  linen  clothesjying  in  the  same 
manner  as  before,  he  viewed  their  position,  the  form 
in  which  they  were  laid,  and  returned  wondering 
greatly  in  himself  at  that  zvJiich  ivas  come  to  pass.  In 
all  probability,  it  was  now  that  Peter  was  favoured 
with  the  sight  of  his  Master.  1  Cor.  xv.  5  ;  for  the 
evangelist  tells  u5,  that  it  happened  on  the  day  of  our 
blessed  Saviour's  resurrection. 


LIFK  OF  CHRIST.  79 


CHAPTER  XLIL 

Jesus  appears  to  fzvo  of  his  Disciples  on  the  Road  to 
Emmaus :  He  appears  to  his  apostles  on  the  Eve- 
ning of  the  Resurrection^  Thomas  being  absent  :  He 
appears  again  to  the  Apostles,  and  convinces  Thomas  : 
Shews  himself  to  his  Disciples  at  the  Sea  of  Tiberi- 
as;  and  to  Jive  hjmdred  of  the  Brethren  in  Galilee, 

!l^  OT  long  after  the  womens'  first  return  to  the  dis- 
ciples with  the  news  that  they  had  seen  a  vision  of  an- 
gels, who  told  them,that  Jesus  was  risen  from  the  dead, 
two  of  the  brethren  departed  on  their  journey  to  a  vil- 
lage called  Em maus,  about  two  miles  distant  from  Je- 
rusalem. Hie  concern  they  were  in  on  account  of  the 
death  of  their  great  and  beloved  Master,  was  sufficient- 
ly visible  in  their  countenances ;  and  as  they  pursued 
their  journey  talking  with  one  another,  and  debating 
about  the  things  that  had  lately  happened  amongst 
them,  concerning  the  life  and  doctrine,  the  sufferings 
and  death  of  the  holy  Jesus,  and  of  the  report  that 
was  just  spread  amongst  his  disciples,  of  his  being 
that  very  morning  risen  from  the  dead,  Jesus  himself 
overtook  them,  and  joined  their  company. 

Appearing  like  a  stranger,  they  did  not  in  the  least 
suspect,%iat  their  fellow-traveller  was  the  great  Re- 
deemer of  men.  He  soon  entered  into  discourse  with 
them,  by  inquiring  what  event  had  so  closely  engaged 
them  in  conversation,  and  why  they  appeared  so  sor- 
rowful and  dejected,  as  if  they  had  met  with  some 
heavy  disappointment  or  sore  affliction  ? 

Cleopas,  one  of  the  disciples,  being  surprised  at  the 
question,  replied,  is  it  possible  that  you  can  be  so  great 
a  stranger  to  the  affairs  of  the  w^orld,  as  to  have  been 
at  Jerusalem,  and  not  have  heard  the  surprising  events 
that  have  happened  there  :  events  that  have  astonish- 
ed the  whole  city,  and  are  now  the  constant  topic  oi 


^RP^ 


80.  Kew  and  complete 

conversation  amongst  all  the  inhabitants?  Jesus  an- 
swered, what  surprising  events  do  you  mean  ?  To 
which  Cleopas  replied,  The  transactions  which  have 
happened  concerning  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  w^ho  ap- 
peared as  a  great  prophet  and  teacher  sent  from  God  j 
and  accordingly  was  highly  venerated  amongst  the 
people,  for  the  excellency  of  his  doctrine,  and  the  num* 
ber,  benefit,  and  greatness  of  his  miracles.  Our  chief 
priests  and  elders,  therefore,  envwig  him  as  one  who 
lessened  their  authority  over  the^ople,  apprehended 
him,  and  found  means  to  put  him  to  death ;  but  we 
firmly  believed  he  would  have  proved  himself  the  Mes- 
siah, or  great  deliverer  :  and  this  persuasion  we  a  long 
time  supported,  nor  were  we  willing  to  abandon  it, 
even  when  we  saw  him  put  to  death  :  but  it  is  now 
three  days  since  these  things  were  done,  and  therefore 
begin  to  fear  we  were  mistaken  concerning  him. 

A  thing  indeed  happened  this  very  morning,  which 
extremely  surprises  us,  and  we  are  very  solicitous  with 
regard  to  the  event.  Some  women  who  had  enter- 
tained the  same  hopes  and  expectations  as  we,  going 
early  in  the  morning  to  pay  their  last  duties  to  their 
Master,  by  embalming  his  body,  returned  with  great 
haste  to  the  city,  and  informed  us  that  they  had  been 
at  the  sepulchre,  but  were  disappointed  of  finding  the 
body  ;  and  to  increase  our  surprise,  they  added,  that 
they  had  seen  a  vision  of  angels  who  told  W^m  that 
Jesus  was  risen  from  the  dead.  This  relation  ap- 
peared at  first  to  us  an  idle  tale,  altogether  incredi- 
ble ;  but  two  of  the  company  going  immediately  after 
to  the  sepulchre,  found  every  thing  exactly  as  the  wo- 
men had  reported  ;  they  saw  the  angels,  but  heard  not 
any  thing  of  the  body — so  that  we  are  still  in  doubt 
and  perplexity  with  regard  to  this  wonderful  event, 
and  what  the  end  of  these  things  will  be.  Jesus  re- 
plied, why  are  ye  so  very  averse  to  believe  that  all  the 
prophets  have  with  one  voice  predicted  concerning 
the  Messiah  ?  Is  It  not  clearly,  and  very  expressly  fore- 
told, in  all  the  prophetic  writings,  that  it  was  ap- 


.-  LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  |1 

pointed  by  the  council  of  Omnipotence  for  the  Mes- 
siah to  suffer  in  this  manner,  and  that  after  sustaining 
the  greatest  indignities,  reproach  and  contempt  from 
the  malice  and  perverseness  of  mankind,  and  even  un- 
dergoing an  ignominious  and  cruel  death,  to  be  ex- 
alted to  a  glorious  and  eternal  kingdom.  After  hav- 
ing said  this,  he  began  at  the  w^ritings  of  Moses,  and 
explained  to  them  in  order,  all  the  principal  passages, 
both  in  the  books  of  that  great  legislator,  and  the  wri- 
tings of  the  other  prophets,  relating  to  his  own  suffer- 
ings, death,  and  glorious  resurrection,  as  predicted  of 
him. 

This  he  did,  with  such  surprising  plainness,  clearness 
and  strength,  that  the  two  disciples,  not  yet  suspecting 
who  he  was,  were  as  much  amazed  to  find  a  stranger 
so  well  acquainted  with  all  that  Jesus  did  and  suffered, 
as  they  at  first  wondered  at  his  appearing  to  be  totally 
ignorant  of  these  transactions.  They  were  also  as- 
tonished to  hear  him  interpret  and  apply  the  Scriptures 
to  their  present  purpose,  with  such  readiness  and  con- 
vincing clearness  of  argument,  as  carried  with  it  a 
strange  and  unusual  authority  and  efficacy.  When  there- 
fore they  came  to  the  village  whither  they  were  going, 
and  Jesus  seemed  as  if  he  would  have  passed  on  and  tra- 
velled further,  they,  desirous  of  his  company,  pressed 
him  in  the  strongest  manner,  to  tarry  with  them  that 
night,  as  it  was  then  late  in  the  evening. 

The  great  Redeemer  of  mankind  consented  to  this 
request,  and  when  they  w^ere  sat  down  to  supper,  he 
took  bread,  and  gave  thanks  to  God,  and  brake  it, 
and  gave  it  to  them  in  the  same  manner  he  used  to  do 
while  he  conversed  with  them  upon  earth  before  his 
death.  This  engaged  their  attention,  and  looking 
stedfastly  on  him,  they  perceived  it  was  their  great 
and  beloved  Master :  but  they  had  then  no  time  to 
express  their  joy  and  astonishment  to  their  benevolent 
Redeemer  5  for  he  vanished  out  of  their  sight  immedi- 
ately. 

VOL,  ii;  L 


53  NEW  AND  COMPLETE  ^ 

No  sooner  did  they  perceive  that  their  Master  was 
departed,  than  they  said  one  to  another,  How  slow 
and  stupid  were  we  before,  not  to  know  him  on  the 
road  while  he  explained  to  us  the  Scriptures;  when  be- 
sides the  affability  of  his  discourse,  and  the  strength 
and  clearness  of  his  arguments,  we  perceived  such  an 
authority  in  what  he  said,  and  such  a  powerful  effica- 
cy attending  his  words,  and  striking  our  hearts  with 
affection,  as  we  could  not  but  have  known,  if  we 
had  not  been  remarkably  stupid,  to  have  been  the 
very  same  that  used  to  accompany  his  teaching,  and 
was  peculiar  to  our  dear  Master,  who  spake  as  never 
man  spoke. 

After  this  surprising  event,  they  did  not  think  pro- 
per to  stay  any  longer  in  Emmaus,  but  returned  that 
very  night  to  Jerusalem  and  found  the  apostles,  with 
several  other  disciples,  discoursing  about  the  resurrec- 
tion of  their  Master  ^  and  on  their  entering  the  room, 
the  disciples  accosted  them,  saying,  The  Lord  is  risen 
indeed,  and  hath  appeared  unto  Simon, 

The  reports  of  the  women  were  little  credited,  sup- 
posing they  were  occasioned  more  by  imagination 
than  reality:  but  when  a  person  of  Simon's  capacity 
and  gravity  declared  he  had  seen  the  Lord,  they  be- 
gan to  think  that  he  was  really  risen  from  the  dead, 
'J  heir  belief  of  this  was  greatly  confirmed  by  the  ar- 
rival of  the  two  disciples  from  Emmaus,  who  declar- 
ed to  their  brethren,  how  Jesus  had  appeared  to  them 
on  the  road  and  how  they  discovered  him  to  be  their 
Master,  by  his  breaking  of  bread,  when  he  sat  down 
to  supper  with  them. 

Durins:  this  conversation  of  the  disciples  from  Em- 
maus,  describing  the  manner  ot  the  appearmg  or  Je- 
sus to  them,  and  offering  arguments  to  convince  those 
who  doubted  the  truth  of  it,  their  great  Masterhimself 
put  an  end  to  the  debate,  by  standing  in  the  midst  ot 
them,  and  saying,  Peace  be  unto  ijou. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  ^% 

The- disciples  were  greatly  terrified  at  this  appear- 
ance of  our  blessed  Saviour,  supposing  they  had  seen 
a  spirit ;  for  as  they  had  secured  the  doors  of  the  house 
where  they  were  assembled  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  and 
Jesus  having  opened  the  locks,  by  his  miraculous  pow- 
er, without  the  knowledge  of  any  in  the  house,  it  was 
natural  for  them  to  think  that  a  spiritual  substance 
only  could  enter.  The  circumstance  therefore  of  the 
doors  being  shut,  is  very  happily  mentioned  by  Sr. 
John  ;  because  it  suggests  a  reason  why  the  disciples 
took  their  Master  for  a  spirit,  notwithstanding  many 
of  them  were  convinced  that  he  was  really  risen  from 
the  dead,  and  were  that  moment  conversing  about 
the  event. 

However,  to  dispel  their  fears  and  doubts;  Jesus 
came  forward,  spake  to  them  in  the  most  endearing 
accent,  shewed  them  his  hands  and  his  feet,  and  de- 
sired them  to  handle  him,  in  order  to  convince  them- 
selves, by  the  united  report  of  their  different  senses, 
that  it  was  he  himself,  and  no  spectre  or  apparition  : 
JVhij  are  ye  troubled,  said  the  benevolent  Redeemer  ot 
mankind,  and  zv/iy  do  thoughti>  arise  in  your  hearts  ? 
Behold  vuj  hands  and  my  feet,  that  it  is  I  myself :  han- 
dle me,  and  see  ;  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones, 
as  ye  see  me  have,  Luke  xxiv.  38,  39. 

By  these  infallible  proofs,  the  disciples  were  suffi- 
ciently convinced  of  the  truth  of  their  Lord's  resur- 
rection, and  they  received  him  with  rapture  and  exul- 
tation :  but  their  joy  and  wonder  had  so  great  an  ef- 
fect on  their  minds,  that  some  of  them,  sensible  of  the 
great  commotion  they  were  in,  suspended  their  belief, 
till  they.' had  considered  the  matter  more  calmly:  Je- 
sus therefore  knowing  their  thoughts,  called  tor  meat, 
and  eat  with  them,  in  order  to  prove  more  fully,  the 
truth  of  his  resurrection  from  the  dead,  and  the  reality 
^>f  his  presence  with  them  at  this  time.  When  Jests 
had  given  this  further  occular  demonstration  ot  his 
Slaving  vanquished  the  power  of  death,  and  opened 


U  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

the  tremendous  portals  of  the  grave,  he  again  repeated 
his  salutation.  Peace  be  itnto  you ;  adding,  The  same 
commission  that  my  Father  hath  given  unto  me,  I 
give  unto  you:  go  ye  therefore  into  every  part  of  the 
w^orld,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  all  the  children  of  men. 
Then  breathing  on  them,  he  said,  receive  ye  the  Holy 
Ghost^  to  direct  and  assist  you  in  the  execution  of 
your  commission:  whosoever  embraces  your  doctrine, 
and  sincerely  repents,  ye  shall  remit  his  sins,  and  your 
sentence  of  absolution  shall  be  ratified  and  confirmed 
in  the  courts  of  heaven:  and  whosoever  either  obsti- 
nately rejects  your  doctrine,  disobeys  it,  or  behaves 
himself  unworthily,  after  he  hath  embraced  it,  his  sins 
shall  not  be  forgiven  him;  but  the  censure  ye  shall 
pass  upon  him  on  earth,  shall  be  confirmed  in  heaven 
to  his  condemnation. 

At  this  meeting  of  the  apostles,  Thomas,  otherwise 
called  Didymus,  was  absent;  nor  did  this  happen 
without  the  special  direction  of  Providence,  that  the 
particular  and  extraordinary  satisfaction  which  was  af- 
terwards granted  him,  might  be  an  abundant  and  un- 
deniable testimony  of  the  truth  of  our  blessed  Sa- 
viour*s  resurrection,  to  all  succeeding  generations. 
The  rest  of  the  apostles  therefore  told  him,  that  they 
had  seen  the  Lord,  and  repeated  to  him  the  words  he 
had  delivered  in  their  hearing :  but  Thomas  replied, 
This  event  is  of  such  great  importance,  that  unless,  to 
prevent  all  possibility  of  deception,  I  see  him  with 
my  own  eyes,  and  feel  him  with  my  own  hands,  put- 
ting my  fingers  into  the  print  of  the  nails  whereby  he 
was  fastened  to  the  cross,  and  thrusting  my  hand  into 
his  side  which  the  soldier  pierced  with  his  spear;  I 
will  not  believe  that  he  is  risen  from  the  dead  in  reali- 
ty and  truth  as  ye  affirm. 

We  have  now  enumerated,  in  the  most  explicit 
manner,  the  transactions  of  that  day,  on  which  the 
great  Redeemer  of  mankind  arose  from  the  dead ;  a 
day  highly  to  be  remembered  by  the  children  of  men>' 


UFE  OF  CHRIST.  85 

throughout  all  generations ;  a  day,  in  which  was  fully 
completed  and  displayed  the  conceptions  lodged  in 
the  breast  of  infinite  Wisdom  from  all  eternity;  even 
those  thoughts  of  love  and  mercy,  on  which  the  salva- 
tion of  the  world  depended.  Christians  have,  there- 
fore, the  highest  reason  to  solemnize  this  day  with 
gladness,  each  returning  week,  by  ceasing  from  their 
labour,  and  giving  up  themselves  to  prayer,  pious  med- 
itations, and  other  exercises  of  religion.  The  redemp^ 
tion  of  mankind,  which  they  weekly  commemorate, 
affords  matter  of  eternal  thought;  it  is  a  subject  im- 
possible to  be  equalled,  and  whose  lustre,  neither 
length  of  time,  nor  frequent  reviewing  can  either  tar- 
nish or  diminish:  it  resembles  the  sun,  which  we  be- 
hold always  the  same  glorious  and  luminous  object; 
for  the  benefit  we  celebrate  is,  after  so  many  ages,  as 
fresh  and  beautiful  as  ever,  and  will  always  continue 
the  same,  flourishing  in  the  memories  of  all  reasonable 
beings  through  the  endless  revolutions  of  eternity.  Re- 
demption is  the  brightest  mirror  in  which  we  contem- 
plate the  goodness  of  the  Almighty,  other  gifts  are  only 
mites  from  the  divine  treasury;  but  redemption  opens, 
we  had  almost  said  exhausts,  all  the  stores  of  grace. 
May  it  be  constantly  the  favourite  subject  of  our  med- 
itations, more  delightful  to  our  musing  minds,  than  ap- 
plause to  the  ambitious  ear !  May  it  be  the  darling 
theme  of  our  discourses;  sweeter  to  our  tongues  than 
the  droppings  of  the  honey-comb  to  the  taste !  May 
it  be  our  choicest  comfort,  through  all  the  changes  of 
this  mortal  life,  and  the  reviving  cordial,  even  in  the 
last  extremities  of  dissolution  itself,  and  upon  the 
\crge  of  the  grave  ! 

After  our  great  Redeemer  had  been  risen  eight  days 
from  the  dead,  he  shewed  himself  again  to  his  disci- 
ples while  Thomas  was  with  them,  and  upbraided  that 
disciple  for  his  unbelief:  but  knowing  that  it  did  not, 
like  that  of  the  Pharisees,  proceed  from  a  wicked  mind, 
but  from  an  honest  heart,  and  a  sincere  desire  ot  be- 
ing satisfied  of  the  truth,  he  addressed  himself  parti- 


86  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

cularly  to  this  doubting  disciple:  Thomas,  said  be,- 
since  thou  wilt  not  be  contented  to  rely  on  the  testi- 
mony of  others,  but  must  be  convinced  by  the  expe- 
rience of  thy  own  senses,  behold  the  wounds  in  my 
hands,  and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust  it  into  my 
side,  and  doubt  no  longer  of  the  reality  of  my  resur- 
rection from  the  tomb. 

The  incredulous  disciple  immediately  obeyed  the 
kind  invitation  of  his  Master;  and  being  fully  satisfied 
according  to  his  own  desire,  he  cried  out,  I  am  abun- 
dantly convinced  thou  art  indeed  my  Lord,  the  very 
same  that  was  crucified ;  and  I  acknowledge  thy  al- 
mighty power,  in  having  triumphed  over  death,  and 
worship  thee  as  my  God  and  Saviour. 

The  blessed  Jesus  replied,  Because  thou  hast  both 
seen  and  felt  me,  Thomas,  thou  hast  believed  that  I 
am  really  risen  from  the  dead.  Blessed  are  they  who 
without  such  evidence  of  the  senses,  shall,  upon  cred- 
ible testimony,  be  willing  to  believe  and  embrace  a 
doctrine,  which  tends  so  greatly  to  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  salvation  of  mankind. 

The  blessed  Jesus  appeared,  according  to  St.  John, 
on  several  other  occasions  to  his  disciples  after  his  re- 
surrection ;  and  by  many  infallible  proofs,  not  men- 
tioned by  the  evangelists,  fully  convinced  them,  that 
he  was  alive  after  his  passion:  but  that  those  which 
are  mentioned,  are  abundantly  sufiicient  to  induce 
men  to  believe  that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  God,  the 
great  Messiah  so  often  foretold  by  the  ancient  pro- 
phets; and  that  by  means  of  that  belief,  they  mav  ob^ 
tain  everlasting  life,  in  the  happy  regions  of  the  hea- 
venly Canaan,  and  there  adore  and  praise  him  for 
ever. 

Jesus  having  first  by  the  angels,  and  afterwards  in 
person,  ordered  his  disciples  to  repair  to  their  respec- 
tive habitations  in  Galilee,  it  is  reasonable  to  think 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  37 

thev  would  leave  Jerusalem  as  soon  as  possible.  This 
they  accordingly  did,  and  on  their  arrival  at  their  re- 
spective places  of  abode,  applied  themselves  to  their 
usual  occupations;  and  the  apostles  returned  to  their 
old  trade  of  fishing  on  the  lake  of  Tiberius.  Here 
they  were  toiling  with  their  nets  very  early  in  the 
morning,  and  saw  Jesus  standing  on  the  shore,  but  did 
not  then  know  him  to  be  their  Master,  as  it  was  some- 
thing dark,  and  they  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
him.  He,  however,  called  to  them,  and  asked  if  they 
had  taken  any  fish;  to  which  they  answered,  they  had 
caught  nothing :  he  then  desired  them  to  let  down 
their  nets  on  the  right  side  of  the  boat,  and  they  should 
not  be  disappointed.  The  disciples  imagining  that 
he  might  be  acquainted  with  the  places  proper  for 
fishing,  did  as  he  had  directed  them,  and  enclosed  in 
their  net  so  vast  a  multitude  of  fishes,  that  they  w^ere 
not  able  to  draw  it  into  the  boat,  but  w^ere  forced  to 
drag  it  after  them  in  the  water  towards  the  land. 

They  had  toiled,  it  seems,  all  the  preceding  night  to 
no  purpose;  and  therefore  such  remarkable  success 
could  not  fail  of  causing  various  conjectures  amongst 
them,  with  regard  to  a  stranger  on  the  shore,  who  had 
given  them  such  happy  advice.  Some  of  the  disciples 
declared  they  could  not  imagine  who  he  w^as;  but 
others  were  persuaded,  that  this  person  was  no  other 
than  their  great  and  beloved  Master.  John  w^as  fully 
convinced  of  his  being  the  Lord,  and  accordingly 
told  his  thoughts  to  Simon  Peter;  who  making  no 
doubt  of  it,  girt  on  his  fisher's  coat,  and  leaped  into 
the  sea,  in  order  to  get  ashore  sooner  than  the  boat 
could  be  brought  to  land,  dragging  after  it  a  net  full 
of  such  large  fishes  as  were  almost  ready  to  sink  it. 

The  disciples,  when  they  came  ashore,  found  a  fire 
kindled,  and  on  it  a  fish  broiling,  and  near  it  some 
bread:  but  neither  being  sufiicient  for  the  company, 
Jesus  bid  them  bring  some  of  the  fis';  thev  had  now 
raugbt,  and  invited  them  to  eat  w  ith  him.     Thus  did 


QB  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

the  blessed  Jesus  prove  again  to  his  disciples  the  reali- 
ty of  his  resurrection,  not  only  by  eating  with  them, 
but  by  working  a  miracle,  like  that  which,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  his  ministry,  had  made  such  an  impression 
upon  them,  as  disposed  them  to  be  his  constant  follow* 
ers.  This  was  the  third  time  that  Jesus  appeared  pub- 
licly to  a  great  number  of  his  disciples  in  a  body,  be- 
sides his  shewing  himself  to  particular  persons,  upon 
special  occasions  and  at  divers  times. 

After  they  had  eaten,  Jesus  reminded  Peter  how 
diligent^  and  zealous  he  ought  to  be,  in  order  to  wipe 
off  the  stain  of  his  denying  him,  when  he  was  carried 
before  the  high-priest:  Simony  son  of  Jonas^  said  our 
blessed  Saviour  to  him,  art  thou  more  zealous  and  af- 
fectionate in  thy  love  towards  me  than  the  rest  of  my 
disciples  ?  To  which  Peter  answered,  Yea,  Lord;  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  was  taught  modesty  and 
diffidence  by  his  late  fall ;  and  therefore,  would  not 
compare  himself  with  others,  but  humbly  appealed  to 
his  Master's  omniscience  for  the  sincerity  of  his  regard 
to  him.  Jesus  answered,  Express  then  thy  love  to- 
wards me  by  the  care  of  my  flock  committed  to  thy 
charge  :  Feed  my  lambsyfeed  my  sheep.  I  well  know 
indeed,  continued  the  blessed  Jesus,  that  thou  wilt 
continue  my  faithful  shepherd  even  until  death :  for 
the  time  will  come,  when  thou,  who  now  girdest  on 
thy  fishers'  coat  voluntarily,  and  stretchest  out  thy 
hands  to  come  to  me,  shalt  in  thine  old  age  be  girt  by 
others,  and  forced  to  stretch  out  thy  hands  against  thy 
will,  in  a  very  different  manner,  for  the  sake  of  thy 
constant  profession  of  my  religion. 

Jesus,  by  these  last  words,  signified  the  manner  of 
Peter's  death,  and  that  he  should  finally  suflfer  martyr- 
dom for  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  testimony  of  the 
truth  of  the  Christian  religion,  which  he  had  been  in- 
strumental in  propagating  to  the  world. 

The  disciples  being  now  about  to  meet  their  great 


LIFI':  OF  CHUIST,  f>9 

Lord  and  Master,  according-  to  the  message  he  had  sent 
them  by  the  women,  and  having*,  in  all  probability,  ap- 
pointed this  meeting  at  some  former  appearance,  not 
mentioned  by  the  evangelists,  the  brethren  set  out  for 
the  mountain  in  Galilee,  perhaps  that  on  which  he  \\\is 
transfigured.  Here  five  hundred  of  them  were  gathered 
together,  waiting  the  joyful  sight  of  their  great  mas- 
ter, after  he  had  triumphed  over  death  and  the  grave  ; 
some  of  them  not  having  yet  seen  him  alter  his  resur- 
rection from  the  dead. 

The  disciples  did  not  wait  long  before  Jesus  ap- 
peared, on  which  they  were  seized  with  rapture;  and 
with  hearts  overflowing  with  gladness,  they  approached 
their  kind,  their  benevolent  Master,  and  ^vorshipped 
him.  Some  few,  indeed,  doubted,  it  being  a  thing- 
agreeable  to  nature  for  men  to  be  afraid  to  believe  what 
they  vehemently  wish,  lest  they  should  indulge  them- 
selves in  false  joys,  which  vanish  like  the  morning  cloud. 
But  Jesus  afterwards  appeared  frequently  to  them,  and 
gave  all  of  them  fuJl  satisfaction,  and  instructed  theni 
in  many  things  relating  to  their  preaching  the  gospel, 
establishino:  the  church,  and  sDreadiu"*  it  throui^'h  the. 
known  world. 

Our  blessed  Saviour,  either  at  his  appearance  on  tlic- 
mountain,  or  some  subsequent  appearance,  not  men- 
tioned by  the  evangelists,  probably  ordered  them  to  re- 
turn to  Jerusalem,  as  he  proposed  to  ascend  visibly  into 
heaven  from  the  top  of  the  mount  of  Olives. 


\  OL.  11 


9a  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 


CHAPTER  XLIIL 

Jesus  ascends  into  Heaven  :  The p7'-wcipal  Argume7its 
of  the  Deists  against  our  blessed  Saviour^s  Resur- 
7'ectwn  considered  and  refuted:  Reflections  on  the 
Life  and  Doctrine  of  our  great  Redeemer. 

x\BOUT  twelve  days  before  the  feast  of  Pentecost, 
called  in  the  law  the  feast  of  weeks,  and  nearly  forty 
days  after  our  blessed  Saviour  arose  from  the  dead,  the 
disciples  repaired  to  Jerusalem,  probably  in  conformity 
to  a  command  given  them  by  their  great  Master  at  one, 
of  his  appearances ;  unless  we  suppose  they  went  up 
to  that  city,  in  order  to  purify  and  prepare  themselves 
for  the  solemnity  now  approaching. 

However  that  may  be,  the  blessed  Jesus  made  his 
last  appearance  here  to  his  apostles :  and,  after  instruct- 
ing them  in  many  particulars  concerning  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and  the  manner  they  were  to  behave  them- 
selves in  propagating  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  he  put 
them  in  mind  that,  during  his  abode  with  them  in  Gal» 
ilee,  he  had  often  told  them,  that  all  things  written  in  the 
iaw^,  the  prophets,  and  the  Psalms  concerning  him, 
were  to  be  exactly  accomplished.  At  the  same  time, 
he  opened  their  understandings,  that  is,  he  removed 
their  prejudices  by  the  operation  of  his  spirit,  cleared 
their  doubts,  improved  their  memories,  strengthened 
their  judgments,  and  enabled  them  to  discern  the  true 
meaning  of  the  Scriptures  respecting  his  divine  mis- 
sion. 

Being  thus  qualified  by  him  for  receiving  the  truth, 
he  again  assured  them  both  that  Moses  and  the  prophets 
had  foretold  that  the  Messiah  \vas  to  suffer  in  tlie  very 
manner  he  had  suffered,  that  he  was  to  rise  from  the  dead 
on  the  third  day,  as  he  had  done,  and  that  repentance 
and  remission  of  sins  was  to  be  preached  in  the  Mes- 


IJFE  OF  CHRIST.  91 

tiiah's  name  amongst  all  nations,  beginning  ^\•ith  the 
Jews  at  Jerusalem. 

After  this,  he  delivered  unto  them  their  commission, 
to  preach  the  doctrine  of  repentance  and  remission  of 
sins  in  his  name  amongst  all  nations,  and  to  testify  un- 
to the  world  the  exact  accomplishment  in  him  of  all 
things  foretold  concerning  the  INIessiah;  and,  to  enable 
them  to  perform  this  important  work,  promised  to  be- 
stow on  them  the  miraculous  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  which 
he  called  the  promise  of  his  Father;  because  the  Al- 
mighty had  promised  them  by  his  prophets  in  the  Old 
Testament. 

Being  thus  fortified  for  the  important  work  they 
were  going  to  undertake,  he  led  them  on  to  the  Mount 
of  Olives  as  fai'  as  Bethany ;  w^here,  standing  on  a  hill 
above  the  town,  he  told  them  that  he  was  now  raised  to 
the  government. of  heaven  and  earth ;  for  which  reason 
they  might  go  courageously  through  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  rational  creature;  assuring 
themselves  that  affairs  in  all  countries  should  be  so  or- 
dered, as  to  dispose  the  inhabitimts  for  the  reception  of 
the  gospel ;  that  they  who  believed,  were  to  be  admit- 
ted into  his  church  by  the  rite  of  baptism,  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  to  be 
taught,  in  consequence  of  their  baptism,  to  obey  all  the 
precepts  he  had  enjoined  them:  that  such  baptised  be- 
lievers should  receive  pardon  of  their  sins,  together 
with  eternal  life  in  the  happy  mansions  of  his  Father's 
kingdom;  but  that  those  who  refused  to  embrace  the 
doctrines  of  the  gospel,  sliould  be  forever  excluded 
those  happy  regions,  and  have  their  portion  in  tlie  lake 
that  burnetii  with  fire  and  brimstone;  that  while  they 
were  employed  in  this  work,  he  Avould  be  w'lih  them  to 
the  end  of  the  world,  to  guide  them  by  his  counsel,  to 
assist  them  by  his  Spirit,  and  to  protect  them  by  his 
providence.  Finally,  that  those  who  should,  througli 
their  preacliing,  be  induced  to  believe,  should  them- 
^4ve^  W9rk  most  astonishing  miracles,  by  which  tli^ 


t2  NEW  AND  COMPLLTE 

gospel  should  be  propagated  with  the  greatest  rapidity 
and  success. 

After  Jesus  had  spoken  these  things,  he  lifted  up  his 
jiands  and  blessed  them  ;  and  in  the  action  of  blessing 
them,  he  was  parted  from  them  in  the  midst  of  the  day, 
a  shining  cloud  receiving  him  out  of  their  sight : 
that  is,  this  brilliant  cloud  encompassed  him  about, 
and  carried  him  up  to  heaven,  not  suddenly,  but  at 
leisure,  that  they  might  behold  him  departing  and  see 
tlie  proof  of  his  having  come  down  from  heaven,  as  he 
had  promised  them. 

The  blessed  Jesus  ascended  in  a  cloud  which  was 
more  bright  and  pure  than  the  clearest  lambent  flame, 
being  no  other  than  the  Shechinah,  or  glory  of  the  Lord, 
the  visible  symbol  of  the  divine  Presence  which  had 
so  often  appeared  to  the  patriarchs  of  old,  which  filled 
the  temple  at  its  dedication,  and  which,  in  its  greatest 
splendour,  cannot  be  beheld  with  mortal  eyes  ;  for 
which  reason,  it  is  called  the  light  inaccessible  in 
which  the  Almighty  resides,  and  with  which  he  is  sur- 
rounded* 

It  was  probably  on  this  occasion  that  our  Lord's 
body  was  changed,  acquiring  the  glories  of  immortality, 
perhaps  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples,  who  stedfastly 
beheld  him  as  he  mounted  from  the  earth.  And  as  he 
ascended,  the  flaming  cloud  that  surrounded  him  mark- 
ed his  passage  througli  the  air,  but  gradually  lost  its 
magnitude  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  stood  below,  till 
at  last  it  vanished,  together  with  their  beloved  Master 
out  of  their  sight ;  for  he  w^as  received  up  where  the 
Divine  Being  manifests  himself  in  a  peculiar  manner, 
and  was  set  down  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on 
high  ;  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth  being  now  given 
him  :  and  this  universal  government  he  will  hold,  till 
he  establishes  the  dominion  of  righteousness,  when  he 
will  deliver  up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Fathei^ 
thai  God  may  be  all  in  oil,   1  Cor.  xv.  28. 


LIIE  OF  CHRIST.  9^ 

I'hus  did  the  great  Redeemer  of  mankind  depart  in 
a  most  illustrious  manner,  after  having  finished  the 
grand  work  which  he  left  the  bosom  of  his  Father  to 
execute ;  a  w^ork  which  God  himself  in  the  most  re- 
motest eternity  contemplated  with  pleasure,  which 
angels  with  joy  described  as  to  happen,  and  which 
through  all  eternity  to  come,  shall  at  periods  the  most 
immensely  distant  from  the  time  of  its  execution  be 
looked  back  upon  with  inexpressible  delight  by  every 
inhabitant  of  heaven ;  for  though  the  minute  affairs  of 
time  may  vanish  altogether  and  be  lost,  when  they  arc 
removed  far  back  by  the  endless  progression  of  dura^ 
tion,  this  object  is  such,  that  no  distance,  however 
great,  can  lessen  it :  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  erected 
on  the  incarnation  and  sufferings  of  the  Son  of  God, 
the  kingdom  and  city  of  the  Almighty  comprehending 
all  the  virtuous  beings  in  the  universe,  made  happy  by 
goodness  and  love  ;  and,  therefore,  none  of  them  can 
never  forget  the  foundation  on  which  their  happiness 
stands  established :  the  human  species  in  particular, 
recovered  by  the  labour  of  the  Son  of  God  will  view 
their  deliverer,  and  look  back  on  his  stupendous  un- 
dertaking with  the  highest  rapture  while  they  are  feast- 
ing without  interruption,  on  its  delicious  fruits :  the 
rest  of  the  members  of  the  city  of  God  will  contem- 
plate it  w^ith  perpetual  pleasure,  as  the  happy  means  of 
recovering  their  kindred  that  were  lost;  possibly  the 
grand  confirmation  of  the  whole  rational  system  in  sub- 
jection to  him  who  reigned  for  ever,  whose  favour  is 
better  than  life  itself,  and  at  whose  right-hand  there  arc 
pleasures  for  evermore. 

We  have  now  followed  our  dear  Redeemer  through 
all  the  transactions  of  his  life,  and  enlarged  on  the  stu- 
pendous miracles  of  his  resurrection,  as  the  whole 
Clii*istian  doctrine  is  founded  on  that  crlorious  event. 
And  it  is  abundantly  evident  from  this  history,  that 
our  blessed  Saviour  shewed  himself  to  his  disciples  and 
friends  only,  not  to  the  Jews  in  general.  This  circum- 
stance gave  Spinoza  a  pretence  for  raising  an  objection 


n  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

which  his  disciples  have  considered  as  the  strongest  ai> 
gument  against  our  Lord's  resurrection.  '  If,  say 
they,  he  really  rose  from  the  dead,  to  have  shewed  him- 
self to  his  enemies  as  well  to  his  friends,  would  have 
put  the  truth  of  his  resurrection  beyond  all  doubt,  than 
which  nothing  could  be  more  necessary  to  the  cause  of 
Christianity  ;  and  therefore,  the  supposition  of  his  hav- 
ing confined  his  appearances,  after  his  resurrection  to  a 
few  select  friends,  renders  the  affair  extremely  suspi- 
cious and  unworthy  of  credit.' 

This  argument,  however  plausible  it  may  appear  at 
first  sight,  is  destitute  of  the  least  force ;  because  it 
may  be  demonstrated,  that  if  Jesus  had  shewed  him- 
self to  his  enemies,  and  to  all  the  people  in  general, 
these  appearances,  instead  of  putting  the  truth  of  his 
resurrection  bevond  all  doubt,  would  have  weakened 
the  evidence  of  it,  at  least  in  after  ages  ;  and,  conse- 
quently, have  been  of  infinite  prejudice  to  mankiixl — 
for  upon  the  supposition  that  our  blessed  Saviour  had 
shewed  himself  openly,  one  of  these  two  things  must 
necessarily  have  happened;  either  his  enemies,  sub- 
mitting to  the  evidence  of  their  senses,  would  have  be- 
lieved his  resurrection,  or,  resisting  that  evidence,  they 
would  reject  it  altogether.  Wc  shall  begin  with  taking 
the  latter  into  consideration. 

Its  very  evident,  that  those  enemies  of  the  Q-reat  Re- 
deemer  of  mankind,  who  resisted  the  evidence  of  their 
Menses,  or  who,  though  really  convinced,  would  not  ac- 
knowledge their  conviction,  must  have  justified  their 
disbelief  by  affirming  that  the  person  who  appeared  to 
them  as  risen  from  the  dead,  was  not  Jesus  whom  the 
Roman  governor  had  crucified,  but  an  impostor  who 
personated  him.  On  any  other  foundation  their  infi- 
delity would  have  been  ridiculous  and  absurd ;  but, 
if  the  unbelieving  Jews,  by  our  Lord's  appearing  per- 
sonally to  them,  would  have  been  laid  under  a  necessity 
of  denying  the  reality  of  his  resurrection,  even  though 
persuaded  of  it  in  their  own  minds,  the  evidence4)f  flict 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  5J 

could  have  gained  nothing  by  such  public  appearances; 
because  the  generality  of  the  Jews  Av^ere  not  capable  of 
passing  a  judgment  upon  the  falsehood  which  C  pi  r  i  s  t'  s 
enemies  must  have  made  use  of  to  support  their  denial 
of  his  resurrection,  being  unacquainted  with  Jesus, 
they  could  not  certainly  tell  whether  he  was  really  the 
person  whom  the  Romans  had  crucified.  His  apostles, 
disciples,  and  acquaintance,  who,  by  their  long  attend- 
ance on  him,  knew  his  stature,  shape,  air,  voice,  and 
manner,  were  the  only  proper  persons  by  whose  de- 
termination the  point  in  dispute  could  be  decided  ;  con- 
sequently, if  our  Lord  had  appeared  to  all  the  people, 
if  any  considerable  number  of  his  enemies  had  continu- 
ed in  their  infidelity,  the  whole  stress  of  the  evidence  of 
his  resurrection  must  have  rested  on  the  evidence  of 
the  very  persons  who  according  to  the  plan  pitched  upon 
by  Providence,  bear  witness  to  it  now,  and  upon  whose 
testimony  the  world  has  believed  it :  so  that  instead 
of  gaining  an  additional  evidence  by  the  proposed 
method  of  shewing  Jesus  publicly  to  all  the  people, 
w^e  should  have  had  nothing  to  trust  but  the  testimony 
of  his  disciples,  and  that  clogged  with  the  incumbrance 
that  his  resurrection  was  denied  by  niany  to  whom  he 
appeared,  and  who  were  not  convinced  by  the  testimony 
of  their  senses. 

In  the  second  place,  it  may  be  supposed  that  in  case 
our  blessed  Saviour  had  shewed  himself  publicly,  the 
whole  nation  of  the  Jews  must  have  believed,  and  that 
future  generations  would  thus  have  had  the  fullest  evi-^ 
dence  of  the  truth  of  his  resurrection,  beyond  all  possi- 
bility of  a  doubt. 

However,  this  will  not  appear  to  be  the  case,  if  we  con^ 
sider,  that  the  greatest  part  of  our  Lord's  enemies  hav- 
ingnot  given  themselves  the  trouble  of  attending  him  of- 
ten, cannot  be  supposed  to  have  been  so  well  acquaint- 
ed with  his  person  as  to  know  him  with  certainty;  for 
which  reason,  though  he  had  shewed  himself  to'them, 
even  their  belief  ©f  his  resurrection  must,  in  a  great 


90  NEW  AND  COINIPLEIE 

measure,  have  depended  on  the  testimony  of  his  disci- 
ples and  friends :  if  so,  it  is  not  very  probable  that  his 
appearing  publicly  would  have  had  any  great  effect  on  the 
Jews,  to  persuade  them  to  embrace  a  crucified  Messi- 
ah. It  is  far  more  reasonable  to  believe,  that  they 
would  have  rejected  the  whole,  and  continued  in  their 
infidelity,  unless  a  divine  power  interposed  to  remove 
tlie  veil  from  their  hearts. 

In  order  to  give  the  argument  all  the  force  the  De- 
ists can  desire,  let  us  further  suppose,  that,  in  conse- 
quence of  our  blessed  Saviour's  appearing  to  all  the 
people  of  the  Jews,  the  nation  in  general  would  have 
been  convinced  of  the  truth  of  his  resurrection,  and 
become  his  disciples ;  what  advantage  would  the  cause 
of  Christianity  have  reaped  from  such  eifects  of  om* 
Lord's  public  appearance  ?  Would  the  evidence  of  his 
resurrection,  have  become  thereby  the  more  unques- 
tionable? or  would  the  modern  infidels  have  been 
the  better  disposed  to  believe  in  this  crucified  Je- 
sus? By  no  means:  for  we  do  not  find  that  men  of 
this  class  are  at  all  the  more  ready  to  believe  the 
miracles  of  Moses  in  Egypt,  at  the  Red  Sea,  and  in 
the  Wilderness,  because  the  whole  nation  were  wit- 
nesses of  them.  The  truth  is,  had  our  blessed  Re- 
deemer persuaded  all  the  people  of  the  Jews,  by  ap- 
peai^ing  personally  to  them,  the  objections  against  his 
resurrection  would  have  been  ten  times  more  numer- 
ous and  forcible  than  they  are  at  present;  for  would 
not  the  whole  have  been  called  a  state-trick,  a  Jewish 
i'able,  a  mere  political  contrivance,  to  patch  up  their 
broken  credit,  after  they  had  so  long  talked  of  a  Mes- 
siah, who  was  to  come  at  that  time?  Besides,  we  should 
certainly  have  been  told,  that  the  government  being 
engaged  in  the  plot,  a  fraud  of  this  kind  might  have 
easily  been  carried  on,  especially  as  the  people  in  gene- 
ral would  eagerly  fall  in  with  it;  because  it  was  so  ex- 
actly adapted  to  their  prejudices,  and  because  the  fe^v 
who  had  sagacity  enough  to  detect  the  fraud,  could 
have  no  opportunity  of  examining  into  it;  or,   if  they 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  97 

did  examine  and  detect  the  fraud,  would  not  have 
dared  to  make  any  discovery  of  it,  in  opposition  to  the 
whole  weight  of  the  state :  so  that  they  would  let  it 
pass  quietly,  without  once  calling  it  in  question. 

The  resurrection  of  our  great  Redeemer  universally 
believed  amongst  the  Jews,  and  published  to  the  world 
by  the  unanimous  voice  of  the  nation  would,  to  say  the 
truth,  have  been  liable  to  an  infinite  number  of  objec- 
tions, which  are  all  effectually  cut  off  by  the  method 
made  choice  of  by  the  wisdom  of  Providence  ;  for  as 
the  people  in  general,  and  the  rulers  in  particular, 
continued  in  their  infidelity,  the  persons  concerned  in 
this  supposed  fraud,  must  have  carried  it  on  under  the 
greatest  disadvantages.  The  reason  is,  that  instead  of 
making^  manv  friends  to  assist  them,  which  a  fraud 
of  this  kind  requires,  all  men  were  their  enemies,  and 
interested  to  discover  the  cheat.  The  Jewish  rulers, 
in  particular  gave  all  possible  encouragement  to  make 
the  strictest  scrutiny  into  the  fact,  and  into  all  its  cir- 
cumstances ;  and  many  doubtless,  zealously  made  the 
inquiry  with  the  utmost  exactness.  The  apostles  who 
preached  the  resurrection,  exposed  themselves  to  the 
fiercest  resentment  of  the  men  in  power ;  because  the 
resurrection  of  our  great  Redeemer  cast  the  greatest 
reflection  upon  those  who  had  put  him  to  death.  It 
should  also  be  remembered,  that  if  the  generality  of 
the  nation  had  not  continued  in  their  unbelief,  the 
apostles,  who  preached  the  resurrection,  would  not 
have  suflfered  these  persecutions,  which  in  every  coun- 
try were  raised  against  them,  chiefly  by  the  Jews  ;  and 
consequently  one  of  the  strongest  arguments  for  the 
truth  of  their  testimony  would  have  been  wanting  : 
whereas,  by  their  having  been  persecuted  to  death  for 
their  preaching  the  resurrection  of  their  great  Master, 
they  fully  demonstrated  how  sincerely  they  believed 
the  great  fact  which  they  preached,  in  continual  jeop- 
ardv  of  their  lives,  notwithstanding;  the  virulent  malice 
and  restless  persecution  of  their  enemies. 

VOL.  ii.  N 


9^  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

We  have  thus  endeavored  to  ansv^^er,  in  the  plainest 
and  most  satisfactory  manner,  the  principal  objection 
made  by  the  Deists  against  the  truth  of  our  blessed 
Saviour*s  resurrection  ;  and  shall  conclude  this  chapter 
with  a  few  reflections  on  the  life  of  the  blessed  Jesus  ; 
a  life  the  greatest  and  best  that  was  ever  led  by  man, 
or  was  ever  the  subject  of  any  history  since  the  uni- 
verse was  called  from  its  original  chaos,  by  the  power- 
ful word  of  the  Almighty,  which  spake  it  into  being. 

As  the  human  character  of  the  blessed  Jesus  results 
from  the  accounts  given  of  him  by  the  evangelists  (for 
they  have  not  formally  drawn  it  up)  so  it  is  entirely 
different  from  that  of  all  other  men  whatsoever ;  for 
whereas  they  have  selfish  passions,  deeply  rooted  in 
their  breasts,  and  are  influenced  by  them  in  almost 
every  thing  they  do,  Jesus  was  so  entirely  free  from 
them,  that  the  most  severe  scrutiny  cannot  furnish  one 
single  action  in  the  whole  course  of  his  life  wherein 
he  consulted  his  own  interest  only :  no,  he  was  in- 
fluenced by  very  different  motives ;  the  present  hap- 
piness and  eternal  welfare  of  sinners  regulated  his  con- 
duct; and  while  others  followed  their  respective  oc- 
cupations, Jesus  had  no  other  business  than  that  of 
promoting  the  happiness  of  the  sons  of  men;  nor  did 
he  wait  till  he  was  solicited  to  extend  his  benevolent 
hand  to  the  distressed ;  he  went  about  doing  good> 
and  always  accounted  it  more  blessed  to  give  than  to 
receive;  resembling  God  rather  than  man,  in  every 
act  of  his  life. 

Persons  of  the  most  exalted  faculties  are  apt  to  be 
elated  with  success  and  applause,  or  dejected  by  cen- 
sure and  disappointments:  but  the  blessed  Jesus  was 
never  elevated  by  the  one,  nor  depressed  by  the  other ; 
he  was  never  more  courageous  than  when  he  met  with 
the  greatest  opposition  and  cruel  treatment,  nor  more 
humble  than  when  the  sons  of  men  worshipped  at  his 
feet.  He  came  into  the  world  inspired  with  the  grand- 
est purpose  that  ever  was  formed,  that  of  saving  from< 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  99 

eternal  perdition,  not  a  single  nation,  but  the  whole 
world ;  and  in  the  execution  of  it,  went  through  the 
longest  and  heaviest  train  of  labours  that  ever  was  sus- 
tained, with  a  constancy  and  resolution,  on  which  no 
disadvantageous  impression  could  be  made  by  any  ac- 
cident whatever :  calumny,  threatenings,  bad  success, 
with  many  other  evils  constantly  attending  him,  served 
only  to  quicken  his  endeavors  in  this  glorious  enter- 
prise, which  he  unweariedly  pursued,  even  till  he 
finished  it  by  his  death  on  the  cross. 

Mankind  are  prone  to  retaliate  injuries  received, 
and  seem  to  take  a  satisfaction  in  complaining  of  the 
cruelties  of  those  who  oppress  them ;  whereas,  the 
whole  of  Christ's  labours  breathed  nothing  but  meek^ 
ness,  patience,  and  forgiveness,  even  to  his  bitterest 
enemies,  and  in  ihe  midst  of  the  most  excruciating 
torments.  The  words  Father,  forgive  theniyfor  they 
know  not  what  they  do,  uttered  by  him  when  his  ene- 
mies were  nailing  him  to  the  cross,  fitly  express  the 
temper  which  he  maintained  through  the  whole  course 
of  his  life,  even  when  assaulted  by  the  heaviest  provo- 
cations. The  truth  is,  he  never  signified  on  any  occa- 
sion, the  least  resentment  by  speech  or  action,  nor  in- 
deed any  emotion  of  mind  whatever,  except  such  as 
flowed  from  pity  and  charity  ;  consequently  such  only 
as  expressed  the  deepest  concern  for  the  welfare  of 
mankind,  to  which  his  glorious  life  and  sufferings  ef« 
fectually  opened  the  way. 

The  greatest  and  best  men  have  had  their  fallings, 
which  tarnish  the  lustre  of  their  virtues,  and  shew 
them  to  have  been  nothing  more  than  men.  This  was 
the  case  with  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  Job,  David, 
Paul,  and  other  heroes  celebrated  in  history ;  but  it 
"wasotherwise  with  Jesus  ;  he  was  superior  to  all  the 
men  that  ever  lived,  both  with  regard  to  the  purity  of 
his  manners,  and  the  perfection  of  his  virtues  :  he  was 
holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and  separated  from  sinners, 
IVhether  we  consider  him  as  a  teacher  or  as  a  man,  ht 


100  NEW  ANli  COMPLETE 

did  not  silly  neither  was  guile  found  in  his  mouth.  I 
Peter,  ii.  22.  His  whole  life  was  perfectly  free  from 
spot  or  weakness,  at  the  same  time  it  was  remarkable 
for  the  greatest  and  most  extensive  exercises  of  virtue  i 
but  never  to  have  committed  the  least  sin  in  word  or 
in  deed,  never  to  have  uttered  any  sentiment  that  could 
be  censured,  upon  the  various  topics  of  religion  and 
morality,  which  were  the  daily  subjects  of  his  discour- 
ses, and  that  through  the  course  of  a  life  filled  with 
the  action,  and  led  under  the  observation  of  manV 
enemies,  who  had  always  access  to  converse  with  him, 
and  who  often  came  to  find  fault,  is  a  pitch  of  perfec- 
tion evidently  above  the  reach  of  human  nature  ;  and 
consequently,  he  who  possessed  it,  must  have  been 
divine,  and  a  most  perfect  Being. 

This  adorable  Person  is  the  subject  of  the  evangeli- 
cal history.  If  the  reader,  by  reviewing  his  life,  doc- 
trine, and  miracles,  as  they  are  here  represented  to 
him  united  in  one  series,  has  a  clearer  idea  of  these 
things  than  before,  or  observes  a  beauty  in  his  actions 
thus  Jinked  together,  which  taken  separately,  do  not 
appear  so  fully;  if  he  feels  himself  touched  by  the 
character  of  Jesus  in  general,  or  with  any  of  his  ser- 
mons and  actions  in  particular,  thus  simply  delineated 
in  writing,  whose  principal  charms  are  the  beauties 
of  truth  ;  above  all,  if  his  dying  so  generously  for  men, 
strikes  him  with  admiration,  or  fills  him  with  joy,  in 
the  prospect  oHhat  pardon  which  is  hereby  purchased 
for  the  world  j  let  him  seriously  consider  with  himself, 
what  improvement  he  ought  to  make  of  the  divine 
goodness,  and  what  returns  of  praise  and  gratitude  are 
due  to  him. 

The  Saviour  of  mankind,  by  his  death,  has  set  open 
the  gates  of  immortality  to  all  the  posterity  of  Adam  y 
and  by  his  word,  spirit  and  example,  graciously  offers 
to  make  them  meet  for  the  glorious  rewards  in  the 
kmgdom  of  the  heavenly  Canaan,  and  to  conduct  them 
into  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light :  let  us,  ther^» 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  101 

fore,  remember,  that,  being  born  under  the  dispensa- 
tion of  his  gospel,  we  have,  from  our  earliest  years, 
enjoyed  the  best  means  ot  acquiring  wisdom,  virtue, 
and  happiness,  the  lineaments  of  the  image  of  God. 
We  have  been  called  to  aspire  after  an  exaltation  to 
the  nature  and  felicity  of  the  Almighty  exhibited  to 
mortal  eyes  in  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  to  fire  us  with 
the  noblest  ambition.  His  gospel  teaches  us  that  we 
are  made  for  eternity ;  and  that  our  present  life  is  to 
our  future  existence,  as  infancy  is  to  manhood  :  but  as 
in  the  former,  many  things  are  to  be  learned,  many 
hardships  to  be  endured,  many  habits  to  be  acquired, 
and  that  by  a  tedious  course  of  exercises,  which  in 
themselves  though  painful,  and  possibly  useless  to  the 
child,  yet  are  necessary  to  fit  him  for  the  business  and 
enjoyments  of  manhood;  So  while  we  remain  in  this 
infancy  of  human  life,  things  are  to  be  learned,  hard- 
ships to  be  endured,  and  habits  to  be  acquired  by  a 
laborious  course  of  discipline,  which,  however  painful, 
must  be  undergone,  because  necessary  to  fit  us  for  the 
employments  and  pleasures  of  our  riper  existence  in 
the  realms  above.  Enflamed,  therefore,  with  the  love 
of  immortality  and  its  joys,  let  us  submit  ourselves  to 
our  heavenly  Teacher,  and  learn  of  him  those  graces 
which  alone  can  render  life  pleasant,  death  desirable, 
fill  eternity  with  ecstatic  joys,  and  the  tongues  and 
hearts  of  the  blessed  with  a  song  of  triumph  in  honour 
of  their  Deliverer. 


102  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Observations  on  the  Doctrine  of  our  blessed  Lord  and 
Saviour  :  The  Excellency  of  the  Religion  he  enforced 
and  inculcated  :  And  the  Reasonableness  of  and 
Pleasure  resulting  from  a  Christian  Life, 

W  E  cannot  more  properly  conclude  our  history  of 
the  life  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of 
our  faith,  nor  place  the  great  doctrines  taught  by  the 
benevolent  Son  of  the  Most  High,  in  a  more  conspicu- 
ous light,  than  by  removing  a  few  prejudices  which 
some,  we  fear  too  many,  have  formed  against  the  re- 
ligion of  the  holy  Jesus,  and  shew  that  his  yoke  is  easy, 
and  his  burden  is  light. 

There  have  not,  perhaps,  been  greater  enemies  to 
the  progress  of  religion,  than  those  who  delineate  it  in 
a  gloomy  and  terrifying  form  ;  nor  any  guilty  of  a 
more  injurious  calumny  against  the  gospel,  than  those 
who  represent  its  precepts  as  rigorous  impositions  and 
unnecessary  restraints.  True  religion  is  the  perfec- 
tion of  human  nature,  and  the  foundation  of  uniform 
exalted  pleasure,  of  public  order  and  private  happi- 
ness. Christianity  is  the  most  excellent  and  the  most 
useful  institution,  having  the  promise  of  the  life  that 
now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come ;  it  is  the  voice 
of  reason  ;  it  is  also  the  language  of  Scripture ;  the 
ways  of  wisdom  are  mays  of  pleasantness ^  and  all  her 
paths  are  peace.  Prov.  iii.  17.  And  our  blessed  Sa- 
viour himself  assures  us,  that  his  precepts  are  easy, 
and  the  burden  of  his  religion  light  and  pleasant. 

The  religion  which  Christ  came  into  this  lower 
world  to  establish,  is  a  rational  service,  a  worship  in 
spirit  and  in  truth,  a  worship  worthy  of  the  majesty  of 
the  Almighty  to  receive,  and  of  the  nature  of  man  to 
pay.  One  of  its  important  branches  is  natural  religi- 
on, inforced  by  additional  inotives  and  new  discQve» 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  103 

rie5  :  its  positive  rights  are  few,  of  plain  and  easy  sig- 
niticancy,  and  manifestly  adopted  to  establish  a  sense 
of  moral  obligations.  The  gospel  places  religion  not 
in  abstruse  speculation  and  metaphysical  subtiltics ; 
not  in  outward  shew  and  tedious  ceremony  ;  not  in 
superstitious  austerities  and  enthusiastic  vision,  but  in 
purity  of  heart,  and  holiness  of  life.  The  sum  of  our 
duty,  according  to  our  great  Master  himself,  consists 
in  the  love  of  God,  and  oj  our  neighbour  :  according 
to  St.  Paul,  in  denying  ungodliness  and  ivorldly  lusts  ; 
and  in  living  soberly,  righleousli/f  and  godly  in  this 
present  zvorld :  according  to  St  James,  in  visiting  the 
fatherless  and  xvidoivs  in  affliction^  and  in  keeping  our- 
selves unspotted  from  the  zvorld.  This  is  the  constant 
strain  and  tenor  of  the  gospel ;  this  it  inculcates  most 
earnestly,  and  on  this  it  lays  the  greatest  stress,  as  most 
conducive  to  true  and  substantial  happiness. 

If  it  be  asked,  whether  the  Christian  system  is  only 
a  republication  of  the  law  of  nature,  or  merely  a  re- 
fined system  of  morality  }  We  reply,  No,  certainly  ;  it 
is  a  great  deal  more.  It  is  an  act  of  grace,  a  stupen- 
dous plan  of  Providence,  designed  for  the  recovery  of 
mankind  from  a  state  of  degradation  and  ruin,  to  the 
favour  of  the  Almighty,  and  to  the  hopes  of  a  happy 
immortality  through  a  Mediator.  Under  this  dispen- 
sation, true  religion  consists  in  a  repentance  towards 
God,  and  in  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the 
person  appointed  by  the  supreme  authority  of  heaven 
and  earth,  to  reconcile  apostate  man  to  his  offended 
Creator,  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin  ;  our  vital  head,  and  go- 
verning Lord.  This  is  the  religion  of  Christians ;  and 
what  hardship,  what  exaction  is  there  in  all  this  ? 
Surely  none:  nay,  the  practice  of  religion  is  much 
easier  than  the  servitude  of  sin,  which  at  ber,t  is  the 
vilest  drudgery,  and  yields  the  worst  kind  of  wages. 

All  will  readily  agree,  that  our  rational  powers  are 
impaired,  and  the  soul  weakened  by  sin  ;  the  animal 
passions  are  strong  and  apt  to  oppose  the  dictates  of 


104  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

reason  ;  objects  of  sense,  make  powerful  impressions 
on  the  mind ;  we  are  in  every  situation  surrounded 
with  many  snares  and  temptations  :  in  such  a  disor- 
dered state  of  things,  to  maintain  a  course  of  strict 
piety  and  uncorrupted  virtue,  is  a  work  of  great  diffi- 
culty. There  are,  however,  many  tender  propensions 
and  generous  instincts  interwoven  with  our  very  being, 
as  restraints  from  vice,  and  incitements  to  virtue.  The 
gracious  Author  of  nature  has  planted  in  the  human 
breast^  a  quick  sense  of  good  and  evil  3  a  faculty  which 
strongly  dictates  right  and  wrong;  and,  though,  by 
the  strength  of  appetite  and  warmth  of  passion,  men 
are  often  hurried  into  immoral  practices ;  yet  in  the 
beginning,  especially  when  there  has  been  the  advan- 
tage of  a  good  education,  it  is  usually  with  reluctance 
and  opposition  of  mind.  What  inward  struggles  pre- 
cede, what  bitter  pangs  attend  their  sinful  excesses  I 
What  guilty  blushes  and  uneasy  fears  1  What  frightful 
prospects  and  pale  reviews  !  '  Terrors  are  upon  them, 
and  a  fire  not  blown  consumeth  them.'  To  make  a 
mock  at  sin,  and  to  commit  iniquity  without  remorse,, 
is  an  attainment  that  requires  length  of  time,  and 
much  painful  labour  ;  more  labour  than  is  requisite  to 
attain  that  habitual  goodness  which  is  the  glory  of  the 
man,  the  ornament  of  the  Christian,  his  preparation 
for  heaven,  and  the  chief  source  of  his  happiness  there. 
The  soul  can  no  more  be  reconciled  to  flagrant  acts  of 
wickedness  and  injustice,  than  the  body  to  excess, 
without  suffering  many  bitter  pains  and  cruel  attacks, 
attacks  attended  with  much  anguish  and  vexation  of 
spirit. 

Conscience  may  indeed  be  stopped  and  put  to  si- 
lence for  a  while  by  false  principles,  its  secret  whispers 
may  be  drowned  by  the  noise  of  company,  and  stifled 
by  entertainments  of  sense  ;  but  this  principle  of  con- 
science is  so  deeply  rooted  in  human  nature,  and  at 
the  same  time,  her  voice  is  so  clear  and  strong,  that  all 
tbiC  sinner's  arts  will  be  unable  to  lull  her  into  a  lasting 
security.     When  the  hour  of  calamity  arrives,  when 


LIVE  OF  CHRISTa  \op 

sickness  seizeth,  and  death  approachedi  the  sinner, 
conscience  constrains  him  to  listen  to  her  accusations, 
and  will  not  suffer  the  temples  of  his  head  to  take  any 
rest:  There  is  no  peace  for  the  wicked ;  the  founda- 
tions of  peace  are  subverted,  they  are  at  utter  enmity 
with  their  reason,  with  their  conscience,  and  with  the 
God  of  their  mercies. 

The  case  is  far  otherwise  with  true  religion:  con- 
science is  on  her  side :  reason  pleads  for  her,  and  in- 
terest joins  in  the  recommendation.  When  religion 
pure  and  genuine  forms  the  temper,  and  governs  the 
life,  conscience  applauds,  and  peace  takes  her  residence 
in  the  breast:  the  soul  is  in  its  proper  state,  there  is 
order  and  regularity  both  in  the  faculties  and  actions. 
Conscious  of  its  own  integrity,  and  secure  of  the  di- 
vine approbation,  the  soul  enjoys  a  calmness  not  to  be 
described:  but  why  do  I  call  this  happy  frame  calm- 
ness only?  It  is  far  more  than  mere  calmness:  the  air 
may  be  calm,  and  the  day  overcast  with  thick  mists  and 
dark  clouds  :  the  pious  and  virtuous  mind  resembles  a 
serene  day,  enlightened  and  enlivened  with  the  bright- 
est rays  of  the  sun;  though  all  without  may  be  clouds 
and  darkness,  there  is  a  light  in  the  heart  of  a  pious 
man  ;  he  is  satisfied  from  himself,  and  is  filled  with 
peace  and  joy  in  believing:  in  the  concluding  scene, 
the  awful  moment  of  dissolution,  all  is  peaceful  and  se- 
rene. The  immortal  part  quits  its  tenement  of  clay 
with  the  well-grounded  hopes  of  ascending  to  happi- 
ness and  glory,  without  mixture,  and  without  end. 

The  gospel  enjoins  no  duty  but  what  is  fit  and  rea- 
sonable: it  calls  upon  all  its  professors  to  practise  reve- 
rence, submission,  and  gratitude  to  God;  justice,  truth, 
and  universal  benevolence  to  men;  and  to  maintain  the 
government  of  our  own  minds  :  and  what  has  any  one 
to  object  against  this?  From  the  least  to  the  greatest 
commandment  of  our  dear  Redeemer,  there  is  not  one 
which  impartial  reason  can  find  fault  with ;  his  law  is 
perfect;  his  precepts  are  true,  and  righteous  altogether, 

VOL.  ii.  a 


f06  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

Not  even  those  excepted,  which  require  us  to  love  our 
enemies,  to  deny  ourselves,  and  to  take  up  our  cross. 
To  forgive  an  injury  is  more  generous  and  manly  than 
to  revenge  it ;  to  controul  a  licentious  appetite  than  to 
indulge  it:  to  suffer  poverty,  reproach,  and  even  death 
itself,  in  the  sacred  cause  of  truth  and  integrity,  is  much 
wiser  and  better,  than,  by  base  compliances,  to  make 
shipwreck  of  faith  and  a  good  conscience.  Thus  in  a 
storm  at  sea,  or  a  conflagration  on  the  land,  a  man  with 
pleasure  abandons  his  lumber  to  secure  his  jewels  ;  pi- 
ety and  virtue  ai^e  the  wisest  and  most  reasonable  things 
in  the  world,  vice  and  wickedness  the  most  irrational, 
absurd,  and  pernicious. 

The  infinitely  wise  Author  of  our  being  hath  so  framed 
our  natures,  and  placed  us  in  such  relations,  that  there 
is  nothing  vicious  but  what  is  injurious ;  nothing  vir- 
tuous but  what  is  advantageous  to  our  present  interest, 
both  with  respect  to  body  and  mind.  Meekness  and 
humility,  patience,  and  universal  charity,  ai'e  graces 
which  give  a  joy  unknown  to  transgressors.  The  di- 
vine virtues  of  truth  and  equity  are  the  only  bands  of 
friendship,  the  only  supports  of  society.  Temperance 
and  sobriety  are  the  best  preservatives  of  health  and 
strength ;  but  sin  and  debauchery  impair  the  body,  con- 
sume the  substance,  reduce  to  poverty,  and  form  the 
direct  path  to  an  immature  and  untimely  death.  Now 
this  is  the  chief  excellency  of  all  laws ;  and  what  will 
always  render  their  burden  pleasant  and  delightful  is, 
that  they  enjoin  nothing  unbecoming  or  injurious;  but, 
on  the  contrary,  what  is  profitable,  and  of  a  salutary- 
nature. 

Besides,  to  render  oar  duty  easy,  we  have  the  ex- 
ample as  well  as  the  commands  of  the  blessed  Jesus. 
The  masters  of  morality  amongst  the  Heathens  gave 
excellent  rules  for  regulation  of  men's  manners;  but 
they  wanted  either  the  honesty  or  the  courage  to  try 
their  own  arguments  upon  themselves.  It  was  a  strong 
presumption  that  the  yoke  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  107 

was  gricvcms,  when  they  laid  heavy  burdens  upon  men's 
shoulders,  which  they  themselves  refused  to  touch  with 
one  of  their  fingers.  Not  thus  our  great  lawgi\er, 
Jesus  Christ  the  righteous;  his  behaviour  was,  in 
all  respects,  conformable  to  his  doctrine ;  his  devotion 
towards  God,  how  sublime  and  ardent!  benevolence 
towards  men,  how  great  and  diffusive  ?  He  was  in  his 
life  an  exact  pattern  of  innocence :  for  he  did  not  sin, 
neither  was  guile  found  in  his  mouth.  In  the  Son  of 
God  incarnate  is  exhibited  the  brightest,  the  fairest  re- 
semblance of  the  Father,  that  earth  or  heaven  ever  be- 
held :  an  example  peculiarly  persuasive,  calculated  to 
inspire  resolution,  and  to  animate  us  to  use  our  utmost 
endeavours  to  imitate  the  divine  pattern,  the  example 
of  the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith,  of  him  who 
loved  us,  and  gave  himself  for  us.  Our  profession  and 
character  as  Christians  oblige  us  to  make  this  exam- 
ple the  model  of  our  lives.  Every  motive  of  de- 
cency, gratitude  and  interest,  constrains  us  to  tread 
the  paths  he  trod  before  us,  more  especially  when  ^ve 
reflect  that  it  was  marked  out  to  us  by  unerring  wis- 
dom. 

Let  us  aJso  remember,  that  our  burden  is  easy ;  be^ 
cause  God,  who  knoweth  whereof  we  are  made,  who 
considereth  that  we  are  but  dust,  is  ever  ready  to  assist 
us.  The  heathen  sages  themselves  had  some  no- 
tions of  his  assistance,  though  guided  only  by  a  glim- 
mering lamp  of  reason ;  but  what  they  looked  upon  as 
probable,  the  gospel  clearly  and  strongly  asserts.  We 
there  hear  the  apostle  exhorting.  Let  us  come  boldly 
unto  the  throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain  mercy y 
and  find  grace  to  help  in  the  time  of  need,  Heb.  iv.  16, 
We  diere  hear  the  blessed  Jesus  himself  arguing  in 
this  convincing  manner,  If  ye,  being  evil,  know  how 
to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children^  how  much  more 
f;hall  your  heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
them  that  ask  him  ?  Luke  ix.  13.  * 

We  would  not  here  be  imderstood  to  mean,  that  tlic 


103  NEW  AND  COMPLEIE 

agency  of  the  spirit  is  irresistible,  and  lays  a  necessi- 
tating bias  on  all  the  faculties  and  affections.  Were 
this  the  case,  precepts  and  prohibitions,  promises  and 
threatenings,  would  signify  nothing;  and  duty  and  ob- 
ligation would  be  words  without  a  meaning.  The  spirit 
assisteth  in  a  manner  agreeable  to  the  frame  of  human 
nature ;  not  controuling  the  free  use  of  reason,  but  by 
assisting  the  understanding,  influencing  the  will,  and 
moderating  the  affections ;  but  though  we  may  not  be 
able  to  explain  the  mode  of  his  operations,  the  Scrip- 
tures warrant  us  to  assert,  that,  when  men  are  renewed 
and  prepared  for  heaven,  it  is  through  sanctification  of 
the  spirit,  and  belief  of  the  truth.  How  enlivening  the 
thought !  how  encouraging  the  motive !  We  are  not 
left  to  struggle  alone  with  the  difficulties  which  attend 
the  practice  of  virtue  in  the  present  imperfect  state. 
The  merciful  Father  of  our  spirits  is  ever  near  to  help 
our  infirmities,  to  enlighten  the  understanding,  to 
strengthen  good  resolutions,  and,  in  concurrence  with 
our  own  endeavours,  to  make  us  conquerors  over  all 
opposition.  Faithful  is  he  to  his  promises  and  will  not 
suffer  the  sincere  and  well-disposed  to  be  tempted 
above  what  they  are  able  to  bear.  What  can  be  desired 
more  than  this?  To  promote  the  virtue  and  happiness 
of  his  moral  ofl^spring,  the  Supreme  Parent  hath  done 
all  that  is  consistent  with  the  holiness  of  his  nature, 
and  the  free  agency  of  man :  if  then  we  are  not  virtuous 
and  happy,  it  is  our  own  faults,  and  we  are  utterly  inex- 
cusable, in  refusing  the  grace  and  mercy  proffered  in 
the  gospel. 

Let  us  also  remember,  that  the  great  doctrine  of  the 
gospel  concerning  the  propitious  mercy  of  God  to  all 
the  penitents  through  Christ  Jesus,  greatly  contri- 
butes to  the  ease  and  pleasure  of  a  religious  life.  Let 
it  be  granted,  that  the  hope  of  pardon  is  essential  to  the 
religion  of  fallen  creatures,  and  one  of  its  first  principles; 
yet,  considering  the  doubts  and  suspicions  which  are  apt 
to  arise  in  a  mind  conscious  of  guilt,  it  is  undoubtedly 
a  G:reat  and  inestimable  fiivour.  to  be  relieved  in  this  re- 


i> 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  109 

spcct  by  a  Messenger  from  Omnipotence  himself.  This 
iis  our  happiness :  we  are  not  left  to  depend  upon  con- 
sequential reasonings,  which  the  bulk  of  mankind  are 
little  used  to;  but  we  are  assured,  that  upon  our  true 
repentance,  we  shall,  through  the  mediation  of  C h  r  i  s t, 
receive  the  full  remission  of  past  sins,  and  be  restored 
to  the  same  state  and  favour  with  our  Maker,  as  if  we 
had  never  transgressed  his  laws;  here  the  gospel  tri- 
umphs :  with  these  assurances  it  abounds;  upon  his 
head  the  declarations  of  our  blessed  Saviour  and  his 
apostles  are  so  express  and  full  that  every  one  who  be- 
lieves them,  and  knows  himself  to  be  a  true  penitent, 
must  banish  every  doubt  and  fear,  and  rejoice  with  joy 
unspeakable :  Come  unto  me^  all  ye  that  labour^  and  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Matt.  xi.  28.  All 
manner  of  sin  and  blasphemy  shall  be  forgiven  unto 
men,  ch.  xiii.  31.  Be  it  knoivn  unto  you,  men  and  bre- 
thren, that  through  this  man  is  preached  unto  you  the 
forgiveness  of  sins;  and  by  him  all  that  believe  are  jus- 
tified ft^om  all  things,  from  which  ye  could  not  be  jus- 
tified by  the  law  of  Moses,  Acts  xiii.  38,  39.  The 
blood  of  Jesus  cleanse th  from  all  sin,  John  i.  7.  What 
grace  and  favour  is  this !  Who  can  dwell  upon  the 
transporting  theme  too  long  !  Now  our  way  is  plain  be- 
fore us,  and  the  burden  we  are  to  bear  is  made  easy. 
No  sins  are  unpardonable,  if  repented  of  and  forsaken ; 
for  it  is  said  such  shall  find  mercy. 

You  who  have  never  yet  regarded  religion,  but  pur- 
sued a  course  of  vice  and  sensuality  all  your  lives  long, 
are  earnestly  entreated  to  consider,  that,  though  your 
conduct  has  been  base  to  the  last  degree,  your  case  is 
not  desperate,  far  from  it :  the  God  whom  you  have  so 
highly  oftended  commiserates  your  errors,  is  ever  ready 
to  extend  his  pardoning  mercy  to  his  most  degenerate 
creatures  upon  their  repentance  and  reformation,  and, 
is  in  Christ  Jesus  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself  not 
imputing  unto  penitent  sinners  their  trespasses,  2  Cor. 
v.  19.  Let  the  wicked,  xh^rt^oYQ,  forsake  his  way,  and 
the  uwighteous  man  his  thoughts;  and  let  him  return 


3 10    >  NEW  x\ND  COMPLETE 

unto  the  Lord^  who  will  so  liberally  extend  his  mercy 
to  him ;  a7id  to  our  God^  who  will  thus  abundantly  par  " 
don^  Isaiah  Iv.  7. 

What  still  further  conduces  to  render  the  Christian  re* 
ligion  easy  and  delightful  is  its  leading  us  to  the  perfect, 
eternal  life  of  heaven.  It  cannot  be  denied  but  that 
we  may  draw  from  the  light  of  nature  strong  presump- 
tions of  a  future  sta.te :  the  present  existence  does  not 
look  like  an  entire  scene,  but  rather  like  the  infancy  of 
human  nature,  which  is  capable  of  aiTiving  at  a  much 
higher  degree  of  maturity:  but  whatever  solid  foun- 
dation the  doctrine  of  a  future  state  may  have  in  nature 
and  reason,  certain  it  is,  that  through  the  habitual  ne- 
glect of  reflection,  and  the  force  of  irregular  passions,, 
this  doctrine  was  before  the  coming  of  our  blessed 
Saviour,  very  much  disfigured,  and,  in  a  great  measure 
lost  amongst  the  sons  of  men,  some  of  whom  affirm- 
ed, that  there  was  neither  resurrection,  angel,  or  spirit* 

A  future  state  of  rewards  and  punishments  was  a 
matter  of  mere  speculation  and  uncertainty  in  the  hea- 
then world ;  it  was  sometimes  hoped  for,  sometimes 
doubted  of,  and  sometimes  absolutely  denied.  The 
lav/  of  Moses,  though  of  divine  original,  is  chiefly  en- 
forced by^  promises  of  temporal  blessings ;  and,  even 
in  the  writings  of  the  prophets,  a  future  immortality  is 
very  sparingly  mentioned,  and  obscurely  represented: 
but  the  doctrine  of  our  Saviour  hath  brought  life  and 
immortaliti/  to  light.  In  the  gospel  we  have  a  distinct 
'  account  ot  another  v/orld,  attended  with  many  engage 
ing  circumstances,  about  which  the  decisions  of  reason 
were  dark  and  confused.  We  have  the  testimony  of 
the  Author  of  our  religion,  who  was  raided  from  the 
dead,  and  who  afterwards,  in  the  presence  of  his  disci- 
ples, ascended  into  heaven.  In  the  New  Testament  it 
is  expressly  declared  that  good  men,  when  absent  from 
the  body^  are  present  with  the  Lord.  Here  we,  are  as- 
sured of  the  resurrection  of  the  body  in  a  glorious  form, 
clothed  with  immortal  visrour.  suited  to  the  active  na-? 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  1 1  i 

ture  of  the  animating  spirit,  and  assisting  its  most  cn- 
lai'ged  operations  and  incessant  progress  towards  per- 
fection. Here  we  are  assured,  that  the  righteous  shall 
go  into  lije  everlasting ;  that  they  shall  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  the  heavenly  Canaan,  where  no  ignorances 
shall  cloud  the  understanding,  no  vice  disturb  the  will. 
In  these  regions  of  perfection,  nothing  but  love  shall 
possess  the  soul;  nothing  but  gratitude  employ  the 
tongue:  there  the  righteous  shall  be  united  to  an  innu- 
merable  company  of  angels^  and  to  the  general  assemblij 
and  church  of  the  first  born:  there  they  shall  see  theii* 
exalted  Redeemer  at  the  right  hand  of  Omnipotence, 
and  sit  down  with  him  on  his  tlu'one  ;  there  they  shall 
be  admitted  into  the  immediate  presence  of  the  Su- 
preme Fountain  of  life  and  happiness,  and,  beholding 
his  face,  be  changed  into  the  same  image  from  glory  to 
glory.. — Here  language--*-here  imagination  fails  me !  It 
requires  the  genius,  the  knowledge,  and  the  pen  of  an 
angel,  to  paint  the  happiness,  the  blissful  scene  of  the 
new  Jerusalem,  w^hich  human  eyes  cannot  behold  till  this 
mortal  body  shall  be  purified  from  its  corruption  and 
dressed  in  the  robes  of  immortality ;  Eye  hath  ?iot  seen, 
nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  to 
conceive  the  joys  -which  God  hath  prepared  for  them 
that  love  him, — What  is  the  Elysium  of  the  Heathens; 
compared  w^ith  the  heaven  of  the  Christians?  The  hope, 
the  prospect  of  this  is  sufficient  to  reconcile  us  to  all 
the  difficulties  that  may  attend  our  progress,  sweeten 
all  our  labours,  alleviate  every  grief,  and  silence  every 
murmur,  by  impressing  on  our  minds  a  meek  acquies- 
cence with  the  divine  dispensations  in  the  course  of  lii;-^ 
providence. 

But  the  libertine,  in  the  gaiety  of  his  heart,  may  pos- 
sibly enquire,  why  there  should  be  any  difficulties  or 
restraint  at  all  ?  God  hath  made  nothing  in  vain.  The 
appetites  he  hath  pkmted  in  the  human  breast  are  to  be 
gratified:  to  deny,  or  to  restrain  them,  is  ignominious 
bondage;  but  to  give  full  scope  to  every  desire  and 
passion  of  the  heart,  without  cheek  or  controul,  is  true 


112  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

manly  freedom,  and  only  pursuing  the  dictates  of  na* 
ture. 

In  order  to  confute  and  expose  this  loose  and  care- 
less way  of  reasoning,  let  it  be  considered,  that  the  lib- 
ert}'^  of  a  rational  creature  doth  not  consist  in  an  entire 
exemption  from  all  controul,  but  in  following  the  dic- 
tates of  reason  as  the  governing  principle,  and  in  keep- 
ing the  various  passions  in  due  subordination.  To  fol- 
low the  regular  motion  of  those  affections  which  the 
wise  Creator  hath  implanted  within  us,  is  our  duty ;  but 
as  our  natural  desires  in  this  state  of  trial  are  often  ir- 
regular, we  are  bound  to  restrain  their  excesses,  and 
not  to  indulge  them,  but  in  a  strict  subserviency  to  the 
integrity  and  peace  of  our  minds,  and  to  the  order  and 
happiness  of  human  society  established  in  the  world. 
They  who  allow  the  supreme  command  to  be  usurped 
by  sense  and  brutal  appetite,  may  promise  themselves 
liberty,  but  are  truly  and  absolutely  the  servants  of  cor- 
ruption :  to  be  vicious  is  to  be  enslaved.  We  behold 
with  pity  those  miserable  objects  that  are  chained  in  the 
gallies,  or  confined  in  dark  prisons  and  loathsome  dun- 
geons ;  but  much  more  abject  and  vile  is  the  slavery  of 
the  sinner !  No  slavery  of  the  body  is  equal  to  the  bon- 
dage of  the  mind  :  no  chains  press  so  closely  or  gall  so 
cruelly  as  the  fetters  of  sin,  which  corrode  the  very  sub- 
stance of  the  soul,  fret  every  faculty,  and  degrade  men 
below  the  brute  part  of  the  creation. 

We  must  indeed  confess,  that  there  are  some  pro- 
fligates so  hardened  by  custom,  as  to  be  past  all  feeling; 
and,  because  insensible  of  their  bondage,  boast  of  this 
insensibility  as  a  mark  of  their  native  freedom,  and 
their  happiness.  Vain  men :  they  might  extol  with 
equal  propriety,  the  peculiar  happiness  of  an  apoplexy, 
the  profound  tranquility  of  a  lethargy,  or,  we  may  add, 
the  ideal  paradise  of  a  lool  or  a  mad- man. 

We  have,  in  the  foregoing  observations,  endeavour- 
ed to  place  in  a  plain  and  conspicuous  light,   some 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  UO 

(4^  the  peculiar  excellencies  of  the  christian  religion  ; 
and  from  hence  many  useful  reflections  will  naturallv 
arise  in  tlie  mind  of  every  attentive  reader„  It  is  the 
rehgion  of  Jesus,  that  hath  removed  idolatry  and  su- 
perstition, and  brought  immortality  to  lights  when  con- 
cealed under  a  veil  of  darkness  almost  impenetrable. 
This  hath  set  the  great  truths  of  religion  in  a  clear  and 
conspicuous  point  of  view,  and  proposed  new  and  pow- 
erful motives  to  influence  our  mindsy  and  to  determine 
our  conduct.  Nothing  is  enjoined  to  be  believed  but 
what  is  worthy  of  God;  nothing  to  be  practised  but 
what  is  friendly  to  man.  All  the  doctrines  of  the  gos- 
pel are  rational  and  consistent ;  all  its  precepts  are 
truly  wise,  just,  and  good.  The  gospel  contains  nothing 
grievous  to  an  ingenuous  mind  ;  it  debars  us  from  no- 

thinsT  but  doin^^  harm  to  ourselves  or  to  our  fellow  crea- 

•  -I'll 

tures;  and  permits  us  to  range  anywhere  biit  m  the  paths 

of  danger  and  destruction.  It  only  requires  us  to  act  up 
to  the  dignity  of  the  rational  nature,  and  to  prefer  to 
the  vanishing  pleasures  of  sin,  the  smiles  of  a  reconciled 
God,  and  an  eternal  weight  of  Glory  :  and  is  this  a  ri- 
gorous exaction,  a  heavy  burden  not  to  be  endured  ? 
How  can  sinful  mortals  harbour  a  thought  so  ridiculous 
and  unworthy  ? 

Can  any  man  who  is  a  real  friend  to  the  cause  of  vir- 
tue, and  to  the  interest  of  mankind,  ever  be  an  enemy 
to  Christianity,  if  he  truly  understands  it,  and  seriously 
reflects  on  its  wise  and  useful  tendency  1  Impossible, 
for  it  conducted!  us  to  ounjourney's  end  by  the  plainest 
and  securest  path,  where  the  steps  are  not  straightened, 
and  where  he  thatrunnefh  stumbleth  not.  IjgI  us  who  live 
under  this  last  and  most  gracious  dispensation  of  God  to 
mankind,  coiwt  ail  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of 
the  knowledge  af  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord:  and  not  sufter 
ourselves,  by  the  slight  cavils  of  unbelievers,  to  be  mov- 
ed away  from  the  hope  of  the  gospel.  Let  us  demonstrate, 
that  we  believe  the  superior  excellency  of  die  Christian, 
dispensation,  by  conforming  to  its  precepts.  Let  us  shew- 
that  we  are  Christians  in  deed  j;ind  in  truth  ;  not  by 

VOL.  yi\  ^ 


Ii4  NEW  AN'D  COMPLETE 

endless  disputes  about  trifles,  and  the  transports  of  vn 
blind  zeal,  but  by  practising  that  universal,  that  exalt- 
ed goodness,  our  holy  religion  recommends,  and  by 
abounding  in  those  yrw?^^  of  righteousness  xvhich  are  bij 

Jesus    Christy   unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God,' 

Phil.  i.  11. 

We  may  clearly  perceive,  from  what  has  been  said, 
how  groundless  all  those  prejudices  are  which  some 
conceit  e  against  religion,  as  if  it  was  a  peevish,  morose 
scl'\eme,  burdensome  to  human  nature,  and  inconsistent 
with  the  true  enjoyment  of  life.  Such  sentiments  arc 
too  apt  to  prevail  in  the  heat  of  youth,  when  the  spi- 
rits are  brisk  and  lively,  and  the  passions  warm  and  im- 
petuous :  but  it  is  wholly  a  mistake,  and  a  mistake  of 
the  most  dangerous  tendency.  The  truth  is,  there  is 
no  pleasure  like  that  of  a  good  conscience,  no  real  peace 
but  what  results  from  the  practice  of  virtue  ;  this  eno- 
bles  the  mind,  and  can  alone  support  it  under  all  the  va- 
rious and  unequal  scenes  of  the  present  state  of  trial ; 
this  lays  a  sure  foundation  of  an  easy,  comfortable  life, 
of  a  serene,  peaceful  death,  andof  eternal  joy  and  happi- 
ness hereafter  :  whereas  vice  is  ruinous  to  all  our  most 
valuable  interests  ;  it  spoils  the  native  beauty,  and  sub- 
verts the  order  of  the  soul ;  it  renders  us  the  scorn 
of  man,  the  rejected  of  God,  and,  without  timely  repent- 
ance, will  rob  us  of  a  happy  eternity.  Religion  is  the 
health,  the  liberty,  and  the  happiness  of  the  soul ;  sin  is 
the  disease,  the  ser^'itude,  and  destruction  of  it,  both 
here  and  for  ever. 

If  these  arguments  be  not  sufficient  to  convince  you, 
let  me  lead  you  into  the  chamber  of  an  habitual  rioter, 
the  lewd  debauchee,  worn  out  in  the  cause  of  iniquity, 
his  bones  full  of  the  sins  of  his  youth,  that  from  his  own 
mouth,  as  he  lies  on  his  expiring  bed,  you  may  learn 
that  the  way  of  transgression  is  hard ;  and  that  how- 
ever sweet  sin  m.ay  be  in  the  commission,  it  biteth  like 
H  serpent^  and  sting et J i  like  an  adder,  Prov.  xxiii.  32. 
Ihis  awful  truth  is  exemplified  in  a  very  strong  point 


Lli-E  OF  CHRIST.  lU 

of  vicw,  by  the  late  celebrated  Dr.  Young,  in  his  Cen- 
taur 7iot  Fabulous y  page  149 — 161,  where  he  draws  a 
most  awful  picture  of  the  last  scene  of  an  abandoned 
profligate,  who  had  despised  religion,  and  led  a  life  of 
pleasure  and  dissipation.     The  relation  is  as  follo^vs  : 

"  I  am  going,  Reader,  to  represent  to  thee  the  last 
moments  of  a  person  of  high  birth  and  spirit,  of  great  parts 
and  strong  passions,  every  way  accomplished,  not  the 
least  in  iniquity ;  his  unkind  treatment  was  the  death 
of  a  most  valuable  wife,,and  his  monstrous  extravagiuice 
in  effect,  disinherited  his  only  child.  And  surely  tin* 
death-bed  of  a  profligate  is  next  in  horror,  to  that  abyss 
to  which  it  leads  :  it  has  the  most  of  hell  that  is  visible 
upon  earth,  and  he  that  has  seen  it  has  more  than  faith 
to  confirm  him  in  his  creed.  I  see  it  now,  says  the 
worthy  divine  from  whom  I  shall  borrow  this  relation, 
for  who  can  forget  it  ?  Are  there  in  it  no  flames  and  fu- 
ries ? — You  are  ignorant  then,  of  what  a  saei'ed  imagi- 
nation can  figure,  what  a  guilty  heart  can  feel !  How 
dismal  is  it  i  The  two  great  enemies  of  soul  and  body, 
sickness  and  sin,  sink  and  confound  his  friends ;  si- 
lence and  darkness  the  shocking  scene;  sickness  ex- 
cludes the  light  of  heaven,  and  sin  its  blessed  hope. 
Oh,  double  darkness  !  more  than  Egyptian  !  accutelv 
to  be  felt ! 

"  The  sad  evening  before  the  death  of  that  noble 
youth,  w^hose  last  hours  suggested  these  thoughts,  T 
was  with  him.  No  one  was  there  but  his  physician, 
and  an  intimate  acquaintance  whom  he  loved  and  whom 
he  had  ruined.  At  my  coming,  he  said,  *\vouandthc 
physician  are  come  too  late.  I  have  neither  life  nor  hope. 
You  both  aim  at  miracles.  You  would  raise  tb.e  dcad.'^ 

"  Heaven,  I  said  uas  merciful. — Or  I  could  not  been 
thus  guilty.  What  has  it  not  done  to  bless,  and  to 
save  me  '?• — I  have  been  too  strong  for  Omnipotence  . 
I  plucked  down  ruin.'' 


116  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

'*  I  said,  the  blessed  Redeemer  "—Hold!  Hold!  you 
Avound  me !  That  is  the  rock  on  which  I  have  split  1  I 
denied  his  name." 

'-'  Refusing  to  hear  any  thing  from  me,  or  take  any 
thing  from  the  phycisian,  he  lay  silent,  as  far  as  sudden 
darts  of  pain  would  permit,  till  the  clock  struck  ;  then 
he  cried  out  with  vehemence,  "  Oh  time  1  time  1  It  is 
fit  thou  shouldst  thus  strike  thy  murderer  to  the  heart. 
How  art  thou  fled  forever  ?-i-A  month  ?'-^0h  for  a  sin- 
gle \veek  !  I  ask  not  for  years,  though  an^^age  were  too 
little  for  the  much  I  have  to  do." 

*^  On  my  saying  we  w^ould  not  do  too  much;  that 
heaven  was  a  blessed  place. — "  So  much  the  worse. 
'Tis  lost  I  'Us  lost  I  Heaven  is  to  me  the  severest  part 
of  hell!" 

**  Soon  after  I  proposed  prayer.- — '^  Pray  you  that 
can :  I  never  prayed  :  I  cannot  pray.- — Nor  need  L 
Heaven  is  on  my  side  already  ;  it  closes  with  my  con- 
science; its  severest  strokes  but  second  my  own." 

*'  His  friend  being  much  touched,  even  to  tears  at 
this  (for  who  could  forbear  ?  I  could  not)  he,  with  a 
most  affectionate  look  said,  *^  Keep  these  tears  for  thy^ 
self.  I  have  undone  thee.- — Dost  thou  weep  for  me  ? 
That's  cruel.     What  can  pain  me  more  ?" 

"  Here  his  friend,  too  much  affected,  would  have  left 
him.  I 

''  No,  stay.  Thou  still  may'st  hope  ;— therefore  hear 
me.  How  madly  have  I  talked?  How  madly  hast  thou 
listened  and  believed  ?  But  look  on  my  present  state  as 
a  full  answer  to  thee  and  to  myself.  This  body  is  all 
Vv  eakness  and  pain ;  but  my  soul,  as  if  stung  up  by  tor- 
ment, to  greater  strength  and  spirit,  is  full  powerful  to 
reason  ;  full  mighty  to  suffer.  And  that  which  thus  tri. 
•umphs  v/itlun  the  jaws  of  mortality,  is  doubtless  im-. 


LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  i\7 

niortal.     And  as  for  a  Deity,  nothing  less  than  an  Al- 
mighty could  inflict  the  pains  I  feel." 

"  I  was  about  to  congratulate  this  passive,  involua- 
tary  confession,  in  his  asserting  the  two  prime  articles 
of  his  creed,  extorted  by  the  rack  of  nature  :  when  he 
thus  very  passionately  added,  "  No,  no!  let  me  speak 
on. — I  have  not  long  to  speak.-— My  much  injured 
friend  !  my  soul  as  my  body,  lies,  in  ruins,  in  scatter- 
ed fragments  of  broken  thought :  remorse  for  the  past 
throws  my  thoughts  on  the  future  :  worse  dread  of  the 
future  strikes  it  baclf  on  the  past.  I  turn,  and  turn, 
and  find  no  ray.-^-Didst  thou  feel  half  the  mountain  that 
is  on  me,  thou  wouldst  struggle  with  the  martyr  for  his 
stake,  and  bless  heaven  for  the  flames;-— that  is  not  an 
everlasting  flame  ;  that  is  not  an  unquenchable  fire." 

*'  How  were  we  struck  ?  Yet,  soon  after  still  more. 
With  what  an  eye  of  distraction,  what  a  face  of  despair 
he  cried  out,  *'  My  principles  have  poisoned  my  friend : 
my  extravagance  has  beggared  my  boy ;  my  unkind- 
ness  has  murdered  my  wife  !  And  is  there  another  hell  ? 
Oh  !  thou  blasphemed,  yet  most  indulgent  Lord  God ! 
Hell  itself  is  a  refuge  if  it  hides  me  from  thy  frown. — '* 

*'  Soon  after,  his  understanding  failed ;  his  terrified 
imagination  uttered  horrors  not  to  be  repeated,  or  ever 
forgotten  ;  and  before  the  sun  (which  I  hope  has  seeji 
few  like  him)  arose,  this  gay,  young,  noble,  ingenuous, 
accomplished,  and  most  WTCtched  mortal  expired." 

It  sometimes  happens,  we  confess,  that  men  who 
have  led  very  wicked  lives  have  gone  out  of  the  world 
as  they  lived  in  it,  defying  conscience,  and  deriding  a 
future  judgment  as  an  idle  fiction  :  but  these  instances 
iu-e  very  rare,  and  only  prove  that  there  are  monsters 
in  the  moral  as  well  as  in  the  natural  world,  who  have 
sported  with  their  own  deceivings,  and  have  e\'en  dared 
to  lift  their  puny  and  rebellious  arm  against  Omnipo- 
tence? 


118  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 

But  it  ^vill  perhaps  be  said,  that  the  sons  of  vice  and, 
riot  have  pleasure  in  sensual  indulgences.  Allowed : 
but  it  is  altogether  of  the  lower  kind,  empty,  fleeting 
and  transient ;  like  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot, 
so  is  the  mirth  of  the  wicked.  It  makes  a  noise  and 
a  blaze  for  the  present,  but  soon  vanishes  away  into 
smoke  and  vapour.  On  the  other  hand,  the  pleasure 
of  religion  is  solidand  lasting,- and  will  attend  us  through 
all,  even  the  last  stages  of  life.  When  we  have  passed 
the  levity  of  youth,  and  have  lost  our  relish  for  the  gay 
entertainments  of  sense  ;  when  old  age  steals  upon  us, 
and  bends  us  towards  the  grave,  this  will  cleave  fast  to 
us,  and  give  us  relief.  It  will  be  so  far  from  termina- 
ting at  death,  that  it  then  commences  perfect,  and  con- 
tinually improves  with  new  additions,  and  ever-bloom- 
ing joys. 

If  our  souls  are  clad  in  thi^  immortal  robe,  w^e  need 
not  fear  the  awful  summons  of  the  king  of  terrors,  nor 
regret  our  retiring  into  the  chambers  of  the  dust.  Our 
immortal  part  will  wing  its  way  to  the  arms  of  its  Om- 
nipotent Redeemer,  and  find  rest  in  the  hea^^enly  man- 
sions of  the  Almighty.  And  though  our  earthly  part, 
this  tabernacle  of  clay,  return  to  its  original  dust,  it  is 
only  to  be  raised  in  a  more  beautiful  and  heavenly  form. 
If  it  retires  into  the  shadow  of  death,  and  visits  the 
gloomy  habitations  of  the  grave,  it  is  only  to  return 
from  a  short  confinement  to  endless  liberty ;  for  our 
jn^eat  master  will  lead  his  redeemed  from  the  chambers 

o  ...  .  ' 

of  the  grave,  and  guide  them  in  his  strength  to  his  holy 
habitation  :  he  will  plant  them  in  the  mountain  of  his 
inheritance,  in  the  place  he  hath  prepared  for  them, 
even  the  sanctuary  which  his  hands  hath  established; 
and  wc  shall  be  with  the  Lord  for  ever  and  ever,  to 
serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple,  where  the  in- 
habitant shall  never  say,  I  am  sick  ;  where  the  wicked 
shall  cease  from  troubling,  and  where  the  weary  soul, 
will  be  for  ever  at  rest. 

We  shall  here  subjoin  a  copy  of  a  letter,  sent  hf 


LIKE  OF  CHRIST.  119 

Publius  Lentulus,  governor  of  Jiidea,  to  the  senate  of 
Rome,  respecting  the  person  and  action  of  our  blessed 
Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Cpirist  ;  which  may  serve 
as  a  strong  testimony  and  evidence  in  favour  of  the  di- 
A  inity  of  the  Lord's  person  and  doctrines,  against  the 
stale  objections  of  the  Deists,  as  the  authenticity  of  the 
ancient  manuscripts,  from  which  it  was  translated,  is 
founded  on  the  best  authority.  Tiberius  Cassar  was 
then  emperor,  and  caused  the  extraordinary  intellig-ence 
contained  in  this  letter,  to  be  published  throughout  all 
the  Roman  provinces.  One  would  have  thought  this 
confirmation  issued  by  the  Roman  governor,  might  have 
convinced  the  generality  of  the  Romans,  as  m  ell  as  Jews 
concernine:  the  divinitv  of  our  Lord's  mission ;  but 
such  was  the  universal  prejudice  of  the  people,  that  no- 
thing would  satisfy  those  who  had  not  gi\cn  credit  to 
the  words  of  Christ  himself.  The  epistle  runs  as  fol- 
lows ; 

"  There  appeared  in  these  our  days  a  man  of  grciit 
virtue,  named  Je  s us C h  r  i  s t,  who  is  yet  living  amongst 
us,  and  of  the  Gentiles  is  accepted  as  a  Prophet  of  Truth, 
but  by  his  own  disciples  called  the  Son  of  God.  He 
raiseth  the  dead  and  cureth  all  manner  of  diseases.  A 
man  of  stature  somewhat  tall  and  comely,  with  a  AX-ry 
reverend  countenance,  such  as  the  beholders  may  both 
love  'And  fear :  his  hair  is  the  colour  of  a  filbert  full  ripe, 
and  plain  almost  down  to  his  ears,  but  from  hiscars  down- 
^vard  some^^  hat  curled,  more  orient  of  colour,  and  wav- 
ing about  his  shoulders.  In  the  midst  of  his  head  goeth  a 
seam  or  partition  of  his  hair,  after  the  manner  of  the  Na- 
zarites  ;  his  forehead  very  plain  and  smooth  ;  his  face 
ivithout  spot  or  wrinkle,  beautified  >vith  comely  red ; 
his  nose  and  mouth  so  formed  as  nothing  can  be  repre- 
hended ;  his  beard  somev/hat  thick,  agreaable  in  co- 
lour to  the  hair  of  his  head,  not  of  any  great  length,  hut 
forked  in  the  midst ;  of  an  innocent,  mature  look  ;  liis 
eyes  grey,  clear,  and  quick.  In  reproving  he  is  terri- 
ble ;  in  admonishing  courteous  and  fair  spoken  ;  plea- 
sf!Rt  in  speech*  mixed  v,  ith  gravity.     It  cannot  be  re- 


120  NEW  AND  COMPLETE 


membered  that  any  have  seen  him  laugh,  but  many  have 
seen  him  weep.  In  proportion  of  body  well- shaped  and 
straight ;  his  hands  and  arms  right  delectable  to  be- 
hold ;  in  speaking  very  temperate,  modest,  and  wise. 
A  man  for  singular  beauty,  surpassing  the  children  of 


men," 


THE 
NEW,  COMPLETE,  and  AUTHENTIC 

LIVES 

OF  THE 

APOSTLES,  EVANGELISTS,  DISCIPLES  &c. 

Of  our  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour, 
JESUS  CHRIST. 


VOL.  U. 


THE 
NEW,  COMPLETE,  and  AUTHENTIC 

LIVES 

OF    THE 

APOSTLES,  EVANGELISTS,  DISCIPLES,  &c, 

Of  our  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour, 
JESUS  CHRIST, 

THE  LIFE  OF  ST.  MATTHEW, 

The  Evangelist  and  Apostle, 


HIS  evangelist  was  also  called  Levi,  and,  though 
a  Roman  officer,  was  a  true  Hebrew,  and  probably  a 
Galilean.  Kirsten,  an  Arabian  author,  tells  us,  that 
he  was  born  at  Nazareth,  a  city  in  the  tribe  of  Zeb- 
ulon,  famous  for  the  habitation  of  Joseph  and  Mary, 
and  the  place  where  our  blessed  Saviour  resided  the 
whole  time  of  his  private  life.  St.  Matthew  was  the 
son  of  Alpheus  and  Mary,  sister,  or  kinswoman  to  the 
blessed  Virgin,  both  originally  descended  from  the 
tribe  of  Issachar. 

The  occupation  of  Matthew  was  that  of  a  publi- 
can, or  tax-gatherer  to  the  Romans,  an  office  detested 
by  the  generality  of  the  Jews.  Amongst  the  Romans, 
indeed,  it  was  accounted  a  place  of  power  and  credit, 
and,  as  such,  rarely  conferred  on  any  but  Roman 
knights :  and  T,  Fl.  Sabimus,  father  of   the  empe- 


m  LIFE  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

Tor  Vespasian,  was  the  publican  of  the  Asian  pr0- 
vinces,  an  office  which  he  discharged  so  greatly  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  public,  that  they  erected  statues  to 
him.  These  officers  being  sent  into  the  provinces  to 
gather  the  tributes,  generally  employed  the  natives  un- 
der them,  as  persons  best  skilled  in  the  affairs  and  cus- 
toms of  their  own  country. 

On  two  accounts,  this  office  was  odious  to  the  Jews, 
First,  because  the  persons  who  managed  it  were  gen- 
erally covetous  and  great  exactors;  for  having  them- 
selves farmed  the  customs  of  the  Romans,  they  used 
every  method  of  oppression,  in  order  to  pay  their  rents 
to  the  Romans  and  procure  an  advantage  to  them- 
selves. Of  this  Zaccheus,  the  chief  of  these  farmers, 
was  very  sensible  after  his  conversion,  when  he  offered 
to  make  a  fourfold  restitution  to  all  from  whom  he 
had  taken  any  thing  by  fraud  and  extortion.  And  up- 
on this  account  they  became  infamous,  even  amongst 
the  Gentiles  themselves,  who  commonly  mention  them 
as  public  robbers,  and  though  members  of  the  com- 
munity, were  more  voracious  and  destructive  in  a  city 
than  wild  beasts  in  a  forest.  The  other  particular 
which  rendered  them  so  hateful  to  the  Jews,  was  the 
tribute  they  demanded,  which  they  considered  not  on- 
ly as  a  burden,  but  also  as  an  affront  to  their  nation  ; 
for  they  looked  upon  themselves  as  a  free  people,  hav- 
ing received  that  privilege  immediately  from  God 
himself;  and  therefore  they  considered  this  tribute  as 
a  daily  and  standing  instance  of  their  slavery,  which 
they  detested  above  every  thing ;  and  it  was  this  that 
betrayed  them  into  so  many  rebellions  against  the  Ro- 
mans. We  may  add,  that  these  publicans  were  oblig- 
ed by  their  office  to  have  frequent  dealings  and  con- 
versation with  the  Gentiles,  which  the  Jews  consid- 
ered as  an  abomination  ;  and  though  they  were  them- 
selves Jews,  they  rigorously  exacted  the  taxes  of  their 
brethren,  and  thereby  seemed  to  conspire  with  the 
Romans  to  entail  perpetual  slavery  on  their  own  coun- 
trymen. 


LIFE  OF  ST.  MATTHEW*  135 

The  publicans,  by  these  practices,  became  univer- 
sally abhorred  by  the  Jewish  nation,  so  that  it  was 
reckoned  unlawful  to  assist  them  in  the  common  offi- 
ces of  humanity:  nay,  they  asserted  it  was  no  crime 
to  cheat  and  over-reach  a  publican,  though  they  broke 
the  solemnity  of  an  oath:  they  might  not  eat  or  drink, 
converse  or  travel  with  them ;  they  were  considered 
as  common  thieves  and  robbers,  and  the  money  receiv- 
ed of  them  was  not  permitted  to  be  deposited  with 
others,  considering  it  as  gained  by  rapine  and  violence; 
they  were  not  admitted  to  give  testimony  in  any  court 
of  justice;  they  were  looked  upon  in  so  infamous  a 
light,  that  they  were  not  only  banished  from  all  com- 
munication in  matters  of  divine  worship,  but  shunned 
in  all  affairs  of  civil  societv  and  commerce,  as  the 
pests  of  their  country,  as  persons  whose  conversation 
was  infectious  and  not  at  all  better  than  the  Meathens 
themselves.  And  hence  they  had  a  common  proverb 
amongst  them,  *  Take  not  a  wife  out  of  that  family  in 
which  there  is  a  publican  ;  for  they  are  all  publicans ! 
that  is,  they  are  all  thieves,  robbers,  and  wicked  sin- 
ners. And  to  this  proverbial  custom  our  blessed  Sa- 
viour alludes,  when  speaking  of  a  hardened  sinner, 
on  whom  neither  private  reproofs,  nor  the  public  cen- 
sures and  admonitions  of  the  church,  can  prevail,  Le^ 
him  be  to  thee  as  an  Heathen  man  and  publicans  or, 
in  other  words,  an  incorrigible  sinner. 

* 

St.  Matthew  the  evangelist  was  of  this  profession, 
and  he  seems  to  have  been  more  particularly  employ- 
ed in  collecting  the  customs  on  commodities  that  came 
by  sea  into  Galilee,  and  the  tribute  which  passengers 
w^ere  to  pay  who  went  by  water:  and  for  this  purpose 
the  office  or  custom-house  stood  by  the  sea-side,  that 
the  officers  might  be  always  at  hand:  and  here  it  vi^as, 
as  St.  Mark  intimates,  that  Matthew  sat  at  the  receipt 
of  custom,  where  the  tribute-monev  was  collected. 

After  having  cured  a  person  long  afilictcd  with  the 
palsy,  our  blessed  Lord  retired  out  of  Capernaum,  to 


126  LIFE  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


walk  by  the  sea-side,  where  he  taught  the  people  that 
flocked  after  him.  Here  he  saw  Matthew  sitting  in 
his  office,  and  called  him  to  follow  him.  The  man 
was  rich,  had  a  large  and  profitable  employment,  was 
a  wise  and  prudent  person,  and  doubtless  understood 
what  it  would  cost  him  to  comply  with  the  call  of  Je- 
sus: he  was  not  ignorant  that  he  must  exchange  wealth 
for  poverty,  a  custom-house  for  a  prison,  rich  and  pow- 
erful masters,  for  a  naked  and  despised  Saviour :  but 
he  overlooked  all  these  considerations,  left  all  his  in- 
terest and  relations,  to  become  our  Lord's  disciple, 
and  to  embrace  a  more  spiritual  way  of  commerce 
and  traffic,  which  might  bring  glory  to  God,  and 
peace  of  conscience  to  himself. 

It  is  not  likely  that  he  was  before  wholly  unac- 
quainted with  our  Saviour's  person  or  doctrine,  espe- 
cially as  he  resided  at  Capernaum,  where  our  Lord  so 
often  preached,  and  wrought  his  miracles;  so  that  he 
must  in  some  measure,  be  prepared  to  receive  the  im- 
pressions which  our  Saviour's  call  made  upon  him,  and 
to  shew  that  he  was  not  discontented  at  his  change; 
he  entertained  both  his  Master  and  his  disciples  at 
his  house,  calling  together  his  friends,  especially  those 
of  his  own  profession,  hoping  no  doubt  that  they 
might  also  be  converted  by  the  company  and  conver- 
sation of  our  blessed  Redeemer. 

As  the  Pharisees  had  sought  all  opportunities  of 
raising  objections  against  the  doctrine  of  the  blessed 
Jesus,  so  they  took  this  opportunity  of  suggesting  to 
his  disciples,  that  it  was  highly  unbecoming  so  pure 
and  holy  a  person,  as  their  Master  pretended  himself 
to  be,  to  converse  so  familiarly  with  the  worst  of  men, 
with  publicans  and  sinners,  persons  infamous  to  a  pro- 
verb ;  but  he  presently  replied  to  them,  that  these 
were  the  sick,  and  therefore  needed  the  physician  : 
that  his  company  was  of  the  most  consequence,  where 
the  souls  of  men  most  required  it :  that  God  himself 
preferred  works  of  mercy  and  charity,  especially  in 


JLIFE  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  127 

doing  good  to  the  souls  of  meiij  infinitely  above  all  ri- 
tual observances,  and  that  the  principal  design  of  his 
coming  into  the  world,  was  not  to  call  the  righteous, 
or  those  who  like  themselves  vainly  pretended  to  be 
so,  but-sinners,  modest,  humble,  self-convinced  sinners, 
to  repentance,  and  to  reduce  them  to  a  better  state 
and  course  of  life  than  they  had  hitherto  pursued. 

St.  Matthew  after  his  election  to  the  apostleship, 
continued  with  the  rest  till  the  ascension  of  his  great 
and  beloved  Master,  after  which,  for  the  first  eight 
years  at  least  he  preached  in  diflferent  parts  of  Judea, 
but  afterwards  he  left  the  country  of  Palestine  to  con- 
vert the  Gentile  world  before  his  departure,  he  was 
entreated  by  the  Jewish  converts  to  write  the  history 
of  the  life  and  actions  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  and  leave 
it  amongst  them  as  a  standing  monument  of  what  he 
had  so  often  delivered  to  them  in  his  sermons.  This 
he  readily  complied  with,  as  we  shall  more  particular- 
ly mention,  in  giving  an  account  of  the  gospel  penned 
by  him. 

Leaving  Judea,  he  travelled  into  several  parts,  es- 
pecially Ethiopia;  but  the  particular  places  he  visit- 
ed are  not  known  with  any  certainty.  Metaphrastus 
tells  us,  that  he  first  visited  Parthia,  and  after  planting 
Christianity  in  those  parts,  he  travelled  into  Ethiopia; 
where,  by  his  preaching  and  miracles,  he  triumphed 
over  superstition  and  idolatry,  convinced  multitudes  of 
the  error  of  their  ways,  and  prevailed  on  them  to 
obey  the  precepts  of  the  gospel :  ordain  them  spirit- 
ual guides  and  pastors  to  confirm  them  in  the  faith, 
and  bringing  over  others  to  the  religion  of  the  son  of 
God,  which  he  had  inculcated  both  by  his  doctrine 
and  example. 

Having  laboured  indefatigably  in  the  vineyard  of 
his  Master,  he  afterwards  suffered  martyrdom  at  a  city 
of  Ethiopia,   called  Naddabar;  but  by  what  kind  of 


128  LIFE  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 


t*< 


death  is  not  absolutely  known,  though  the  general 
opinion  is  that  he  was  slain  with  an  halbert. 

This  apostle  was  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  pow- 
er of  religion,  in  bringing  men  to  a  better  temper  of 
mind.  H  we  reflect  upon  his  circumstances  while  he 
continued  a  stranger  to  the  great  Redeemer  of  man- 
kind, we  shall  find  that  the  love  of  the  world  had  pos- 
sessed his  heart.  He  had  acquired  a  plentiful  estate, 
was  in  possession  ofa  very  rich  and  profitable  office,  sup- 
ported by  the  power  and  favour  of  the  Romans, 
prompted  by  covetous  inclinations,  and  these  confirm- 
ed by  long  habits  and  customs:  but  notwithstanding 
all  this,  no  sooner  did  Christ  call  him,  than  he  aban- 
doned, without  the  least  scruple  or  hesitation,  all  his 
riches;  nay,  he  not  only  renounced  his  lucrative  of- 
fice, but  ran  the  greatest  hazard  of  displeasing  the 
masters  who  employed  him,  for  quitting  their  service, 
without  giving  them  the  least  notice  and  leaving  his 
accounts  in  confusion. 

Had  our  blessed  Saviour  appeared  as  a  secular  prince 
clothed  with  temporal  power  and  authority,  it  would 
have  been  no  wonder  for  St.  Matthew  to  have  gone 
over  to  his  service,  but  when  he  appeared  under  all 
the  circumstances  of  meanness  and  disgrace,  when  he 
seems  to  promise  his  followers  nothing  but  misery  and 
sufferings  in  this  life,  and  to  propose  no  other  rewards 
than  the  invisible  encouragements  of  another  world, 
his  change  appears  truly  wonderful  and  surprising.  It 
was  indeed  so  remarkable,  that  both  Porphyry  and  Ju- 
lian, two  subtle  adversariesof  the  Christian  religion,  took 
occasion  from  hence  to  charge  him  either  with  false- 
hood or  folly :  with  the  former,  if  he  did  not  give  a 
true  account  of  things ;  and  with  the  latter,  if  his  case 
was  fairly  represented,  in  so  hastily  following  the  per- 
son who  called  him  :  but  these  detractors  would  have 
done  well  to  have  remembered,  that  the  holy  Jesus 
was  no  common  person;  his  commands  were  attended 
with  something  more  than  common* 


IJFE  OF  ST.  MATTHEW.  129 

St.  Jerom  is  of  opinion,  that  besides  the  divinity 
\vhich  evidently  appeared  in  the  miracles  of  the  Lamb 
of  God,  there  was  a  divine  brightness  and  kind  of  ma- 
jesty in  his  looks,  which  was  at  first  sight  sufficient  to 
draw  persons  after  him  ;  but  however  that  be,  his  mi- 
raculous powers  that  retitcted  a  lustre  from  every  quar- 
ter, and  the  efficacy  of  his  doctrine  accom[)anied  with 
the  divine  grace  made  way  for  the  summons  sent  to 
our  apostle,  and  enabled  him  to  conquer  all  op{)osi- 
tions,  and  all  the  difficulties  that  opposed  his  obeying 
the  commands  of  his  Saviour,  when  he  received  the 
])owerful  call. 

A  still  farther  evidence  of  this  contempt  of  the 
world  appeared  in  his  exemplary  temperance  and  ab- 
stemiousness from  all  delights  and  pleasures;  nay, 
even,  from  the  ordinary  conveniency  and  accommo- 
dations of  it;  he  was  so  far  from  indulging  his  appe- 
tite with  delicate  rarities,  that  he  retused  to  gratify  it 
with  lawful  and  ordinary  provisions;  his  usual  diet 
being  only  herbs,  roots,  seed';,  and  berries:  but  what 
appeared  most  remarkable  in  him,  and  which,  though 
the  least  virtue  in  itself,  is  the  greatest  in  the  esteem 
and  value  of  a  wise  man,  was  his  humilitv:  he  was 
mean  and  modest  in  his  own  opinion,  always  prefer- 
ing  others  to  himself :  for  whereas  the  other  evange- 
lists, in  describing  the  apostles  by  pairs,  constantly 
place  him  before  St.  Thomas,  he  modestly  places  hini 
before  himself. 

The  rest  of  the  evangelists  are  careful  to  mention 
the  honour  of  his  apostleship,  but  speak  of  his  former 
sordid,  dishonest,  and  disgraceful  course  of  life,  only 
under  trie  name  of  Levi ;  while  he  himself  sets  it  down, 
with  all  its  circumstances,  under  his  own  proper  and 
common  name;  a  conduct  which  at  once  commends 
the  prudence  and  candour  of  the  apostle,  and  sug- 
gests to  us  this  useful  reflection.  That  the  greatest 
sinners  are  not  excluded  from  divine  grace;  nor  can 
any,   if  penitent,  have  just  reason  to  despair^  when 

VOL.ii.  R 


120  LIFE  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 

publicans  and  sinners  find  mercy  ^t  the  throne  of 
grace.  The  conduct  of  the  other  evangelists  with  re- 
gard to  St.  Matthew,  should  also  teach  us  to  use  a 
penitent  brother  wMth  the  greatest  modesty  and  ten- 
derness ',  it  being  contrary  to  the  rules  of  civility,  as 
well  as  the  laws  of  religion,  to  upbraid  and  reproach 
a  person,  after  his  repentance,  with  the  errors  of  his 
former  life  and  practices. 

We  shall  conclude  the  life  of  this  apostle  with  a  re- 
mark concerning  his  gospel,  which  was  written  at  the 
entreaty  of  the  Jewish  converts,  while  he  abode  in 
Palestine,  but  at  what  particular  time,  is  uncertain; 
some  will  have  it  to  be  written  eight,  some  fifteen,  and 
some  thirty  vears  after  our  Lord's  ascension  :  it  was 
originally  written  in  Hebrew,  but,  soon  after  translat- 
ed into  Greek  by  one  of  the  disciples,  probably  by 
St.  James  the  Less  :  but  whoever  the  translator  was, 
is  of  no  consequence,  because  the  version  was  well 
know^i  to  the  apostles,  and  approved  by  themj  and  ac- 
cordingly the  church  has  from  the  earliest  ages  receiv- 
ed the  Greek  copy  as  authentic,  and  placed  it  in  the 
sacred  canon  of  Scripture. 

The  Greek  translation  having  been  entertained,  the 
Hebrew  copy  was  afterwards  chiefly  owned  and  used 
by  the  Nazara?i,  a  middle  sect  between  Jews  and 
Christians;  with  the  former,  they  adhered  to  the  rites 
and  ceremonies  of  the  Mosaic  law ;  and  with  the  lat- 
ter, they  believed  in  Christ,  and  embraced  his  reli- 
gion; and  hence  this  gospel  has  been  styled,  'The 
gospel  according  to  the  Hebrews,  and  the  gospel  of 
the  Nazarenes.'  But  after  a  time,  it  was  interpolated 
by  these  Christians,  who  inserted  several  passages  of 
the  evangelical  history ;  which  they  had  heard  from 
tlie  apostles,  or  from  those  who  had  familiarly  convers- 
ed with  them  ;  and  to  these  additions  the  ancient  fa- 
thers frequently  refer  in  their  writings.  The  Ebonites^ 
\)\\  tlie  contrary,  struck  out  many  passages  because 
They  were  not  favourable  to  their  tenets.    A  Hebre^j^?" 


LIFE  OF  ST.  MARK.  131 

copy  of  St.  Matthew's  gospel  (but  whether  exactly 
the  same  as  that  written  by  the  apostle,  is  uncertain) 
was  found  amongst  the  other  books  in  the  treasury  of 
the  Jews  at  Tiberias,  by  one  Joseph,  a  Jew,  who  af- 
ter his  conversion,  was  a  man  of  great  honour  and  es- 
teem in  the  reign  of  Constantine.  St.  Jerom  assures 
us  that  another  was  kept  in  the  library  at  Ca^sarea  in 
his  time,  and  another  by  the  Nazarenes  at  Berea,  from 
whom  he  procured  the  Hberty  to  transcribe  it,  and 
which  he  afterwards  translated  both  into  Greek  and 
Latin,  with  this  remarkable  observation,  that  in  quot- 
ing the  text  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  evangelist  im- 
mediately follows  the  Hebrew,  without  taking  notice 
of  the  Septuagint  translation.  A  copy  of  this  gospel 
was  also  dug  up  in  the  year  485,  on  opening  the 
grave  of  St.  Barnabas,  in  Cyprus,  transcribed  with  his 
own  hand;  but  these  copies  have  long  since  perished: 
and  with  regard  to  those  published  since  by  Tile  and 
Munster,  the  barbarous  and  corrupt  stile  sufficiently 
demonstrate  that  they  were  not  originals,  but  the 
translation  of  a  more  ignorant  and  corrupt  age,  and 
therefore  deservedly  rejected  by  the  morejudicious  and 
enlightened  part  of  mankind. 


rHE  LIFE  OF  ST.  MARK, 

The  Evangelist  and  Apostle, 


JL  HOUGH  the  name  of  St,  Mark  seems  to  be  of 
Koman  original,  he  was  nevertheless  descended  from 
Jewish  parents,  and  ot  the  tribe  of  Levi:  nor  was  it 
uncommon  amongst  the  Jews  to  change  their  names 
on  some  remarkable  revolution  or  incident  of  life,  or 
when  they  intended  to  travel  into  any  of  the  Pomgn 
provinces  in  Europe, 


132  LIFE  OF  ST.  MARK. 

St.  Mark  was  generally  considered  by  the  ancients, 
as  one  of  the  seventy  disciples;  and  Epiphanius  ex- 
pressly tells  us,  that  '  he  was  one  of  those  who,  tak- 
ing exception  at  our  Lord's  discourse  of  eating  his 
flesh  and  drinking  his  blood,  went  back  and  walked 
no  more  with  him/  But  there  appears  no  manner  of 
foundation  for  these-opinions,  nor  for  that  of  Nice- 
phorus,  who  will  have  him  to  be  the  son  of  St.  Peter's 
sister:  nay,  Pepias,  bishop  of  Hierapolis,  who  lived 
near  the  apostolic  times,  positively  affirms,  that  he  was 
neither  a  hearer  nor  follower  of  our  Saviour.  It  is 
therefore  most  probable,  that  he  was  converted  by 
some  ot  the  apostles,  perhaps  by  St.  Peter,  whom  he 
constantly  attended  in  his  travels,  supplying  the  place 
of  an  amanuensis  and  interpreter:  for  though  the 
apostles  were  divinely  inspired,  and  had,  amongst 
other  miraculous  powers,  the  gift  of  tongues  confer- 
red upon  them,  yet  the  interpretation  of  tongues  was 
a  gift  more  peculiar  to  some  than  to  others;  and  this 
probably  was  St.  Mark's  talent,  in  expounding  St.  Pe- 
ter's discourses  whether  by  word  or  vvTiting,  to  those 
who  were  strangers  to  the  language  in  w^hich  they 
were  delivered:  but  however  this  be, he  accompanied 
him  in  his  apostolical  progress,  preached  the  gospel  in 
Italy  and  at  Rome,  where  at  the  request  of  the  Chris- 
tians of  these  parts,  he  composed  and  wrote  the  gos- 
pel, which  is  called  after  his  name. 

We  are  told  bv  Eusebius,  that  St.  Mark  was  sent 
into  Egypt  by  St.  Peter  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  ac- 
cordingly planted  a  church  in  Alexandria,  the  me- 
tropolis of  it;  and  his  success  was  so  very  remarkable, 
that  he  converted  multitudes  both  ot  men  and  women, 
persuading  them  not  only  to  embrace  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, but  also  a  life  of  more  than  ordinary  strictness. 
That  there  was  indeed  a  sect  in  Egypt  remarkably 
strict  in  their  discipline  is  evident  from  Philo,  who 
gives  the  following  account  of  them. 

*  Th.ere  is,  says  he,  a  sort  of  persons  in  many  parts 


.LIFE  OF  ST.  MARK,  nj, 

of  the  world,  especially  near  the  Alaroeotick  lake  in 
E-rypt,  who  have  formed  themselves  into  religious  so- 
cietiesandleadastrict  philosophical  and  contemplative 
course  of  life.  When  they  first  enter  on  this  manner 
of  living,  they  renounce  all  secular  interests  and  em- 
ployments, and  leaving  their  estates  to  their  relations, 
retire  into  gardens,  and  places  devoted  to  solitude  and 
contemplation.  Their  houses,  or  colleges,  are  not  con- 
tiguous, that,  being  free  from  noise  and  tumult,  they 
might  the  better  attend  to  the  designs  ot  a  contempla- 
tive life  ;  nor  yet  removed  at  too  great  a  distance,  that 
they  may  maintain  mutual  society,  and  be  conveni- 
ently capable  of  helping  and  assisting  one  another. 
In  each  of  these  houses  is  an  oratory,  called  Semnion 
and  Monasterion,  in  which  they  discharged  the  more 
secret  and  solemn  rites  of  their  religion,  divided  in 
the  middle  by  a  partition-wall  three  or  four  cubits 
high,  one  apartment  being  for  the  men,  and  the  other 
for  the  women.  Here  they  publicly  meet  every  se- 
venth day,  where,  being  seated  according  to  their  se- 
liiority,  and  having  composed  themselves  with  great 
decency  and  reverence,  the  most  aged  person  amongst 
them  and  the  best  skilled  in  the  dogmata  and  prin- 
ciples of  their  institution,  comes  forth  into  the  niidst, 
gravely  and  soberly  discoursing  on  wliat  may  make 
the  greatest  impression  on  their  minds;  the  rest  at- 
tending with  the  most  profound  silence,  and  only  tes- 
tifying their  assent  with  the  motion  of  their  eves  or 
head.  Their  discourses  are  commonly  mystical  and 
allegorical,  seeking  hidden  senses  under  plain  words : 
and  of  such  an  allegorical  philosophy  the  books  of 
their  religion,  left  them  by  their  ancestors,  consist: 
the  law  they  compare  to  an  animal,  the  letters  of  it 
resembling  the  body,  while  the  soul  of  it  lies  in  these 
abstruse  and  recondite  notions,  which  the  external 
veil  and  surface  of  the  words  conceal  from  common 
understanding. 

^  With  regard  to  their  method  of  living,  they  take 
very  little  care  of  their  bodies,  spending  their  whole 


I3i  LIFE  OF  ST.  MARK. 

time  in  perfecting  their  minds  by  precepts  of  wisdom'' 
and  religion;  the  day  they  wholly  spend  in  pious  and 
divine  meditations,  in  reading  and  expounding  the 
law  and  the  prophets,  and  the  holy  volumes  of  the  an- 
cient founders  of  their  sect»  and  in  singing  Psalms  to 
the  honour  of  their  Maker;  absolutely  temperate  and 
abstemious,  neither  eating  nor  drinking  till  night,  the 
only  time  they  think  proper  to  refresh  and  regale  the 
body  ;  and  some  of  them  out  of  an  insatiable  desire 
of  growing  in  knowledge  and  virtue,  fast  many  days 
together.  1  heir  diet  is  plain  and  simple,  sufficient 
only  to  satisfy  the  calls  of  nature,  a  little  bread, 
salt,  and  water  being  their  constant  bill  of  fare. 
Their  clothes  are  as  mean  as  their  food,  designed 
only  as  present  security  against  cold  and  naked- 
ness. Nor  is  this  the  case  only  of  the  men,  but 
also  of  the  pious  and  devout  women  that  live  amongst 
them;  who  religiously  observe  every  seventh  day,  and 
especially  the  preparatory  week  to  the  great  solemnity, 
wiiich  thev  keep  with  all  expressions  of  sincere  devo-^ 
tion,  and  also  with  severe  abstinence.* 

Eusebius  affirms,  that  these  excellent  persons  were 
Christians,  converted  and  brought  under  such  admira- 
ble rules  and  institutions  by  St.  Mark  at  his  coming 
hither,  accommodating  all  passages  to  the  manner  and 
discipline  of  the  Christians;  and  is  followed  by  Epi- 
))hanius,  Jerom,  and  others.  But  whoever  seriously 
and  impartially  considers  Philo's  account,  will  plainly 
find,  that  he  intends  it  of  the  Jews,  and  professors  of 
the  Alosaic  religion,  though  what  particular  sect  they 
were,  I  sliall  not  pretend  to  determine  ;  perhaps  they 
were  Essenes:  but  however  that  be,  it  is  plain  they 
were  not  Christians;  for  Philo  speaks  of  them  as  an 
institution  of  some  standing;  whereas,  the  Christians 
had  but  very  lately  appeared  in  the  world,  especially 
in  Egypt:  besides,  many  parts  of  Philo's  account  does 
not  in  several  parts  agree  with  the  state  and  manners 
of  the  Christians  at  that  time ;  as  that  they  withdrew 
themselves  from  public  conversation,  and  all  the  afvj 


l^IFE  OF  ST.  MARK.  135 

fairs  of  civil  life,  which  the  Christians  never  did,  hut 
when  forced  to  it  hy  violent  persecutions  ;  for  at  other 
times,  as  Justin  Martyr,  and  Tertulian  tells  us,  th.iy 
mixed  themselves  promiscuously  with  the  inhabitants 
of  the  country,  dwelt  in  towns  and  cities,  ploughed 
their  lands,  and  followed  their  respective  trades  and 
callinijs  like  other  men.  Nor  can  the  books  which 
Philo  tells  us  thev  had,  besides  those  of  Moses  and 
the  prophets,  be  understood  of  those  of  the  Christians-, 
for  the  writings  of  the  evangelists  had  been  very  late- 
ly published,  and  consequently  could  not  come  under 
the  character  of  ancient  authors.  Not  to  mention  that 
some  of  their  ceremonies  were  such  as  the  Christian? 
of  those  days  were  absolute  strangers  to,  not  being  in- 
troduced into  the  church  till  some  ages  after  Pnilo 
wrote  his  account :  nay,  some  of  them  were  never 
used  by  the  primitive  Christians,  especially  their  reli- 
gious dances,  which  Philo  particularly  describes,  as 
used  by  them  at  their  festival  solemnities,  especially 
that  remarkable  one  which  they  observed  at  the  end 
of  every  seven  weeks;  when  their  entertainment  be- 
ing ended,  they  all  rose  up,  the  men  in  one  company 
and  the  woman  in  another,  dancing  with  various  mea- 
sures and  motions,  each  company  singing  divine  hymns 
and  songs,  and  having  a  precentor  going  before  each 
division,  singing  alternately  ;  till,  in  the  conclusion, 
they  joined  in  one  common  chorus,  in  imitation  ot  the 
triumphant  song  sung  by  Moses  and  the  Israelites,  af* 
ter  their  great  deliverance  at  the  Red  Sea,  from  the 
hostile  attempts  of  Pharaoh  and  his  army, 

Frofi!  these,  and  several  other  particulars  that  might 
be  mentioned,  it  will  appear,  that  these  could  not  be 
Christians;  it  is  not  indeed  to  be  doubted,  but  that 
persons  educated  under  such  excellent  rules  and  me- 
thods of  life,  were  more  than  ordinarily  pre[)arcd  for 
the  reception  of  Christianity,  and  could  not  fail  of 
rendering  St.  Mark's  success  surprising  in  those  parts, 
and  open  a  path  for  men  to  come  in  multitudes  to  em- 
brace the  d-3ctrines  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,, 


135  LIFE  OF  ST.  MARK. 

This  apostle  did  not  confine  himself  to  Alexandria, 
and  the  oriental  parts  of  Egypt,  but  removed  west- 
ward to  Lybia,  passing  through  the  countries  of  Mar- 
inarcia,  Pentapoh's,  and  others  adjacent,  where  though 
the  people  were  both  barbarous  in  their  manners,  and 
idolatrous  in  their  worship,  yet  by  his  preaching  and 
miracles,  he  prevailed  on  them  to  embrace  the  tenets 
of  the  gospel ;  nor  did  he  leave  them  till  he  had  con- 
firmed them  in  the  faith  of  his  divine  Master. 

He  returned,  after  his  long  tour,  to  Alexandria, 
where  he  preached  with  the  greatest  freedom,  ordered 
and  disposed  of  the  affairs  of  the  church,  and  wisely 
provided  for  a  succession,  by  constituting  governors 
and  pastors  of  it.  But  the  restless  enemy  of  the  souls 
of  men,  would  not  suffer  our  apostle  to  continue  in 
peace  and  quietness ;  for  while  he  was  assiduously  la- 
bouring in  the  vineyard  of  his  Aiaster  the  idolatrous 
inhabitants  about  the  time  of  Easter,  when  they  were 
celebrating  the  solemnities  of  Serapis,  tumultuously 
entered  the  church,  forced  St.  Mark,  then  performing 
divine  service,  from  thence,  and  binding  his  feet  with 
cords,  dragged  him  through  the  streets,  and  over  the 
most  craggy  places  to  the  Bucelus,  a  precipice  near 
the  sea,  leaving  him  there  in  a  lonesome  prison  for 
that  night;  but  his  great  and  beloved  Master  appeared 
to  him  in  a  vision,  comforting  and  encouraging  his 
soul,  under  the  ruins  of  his  shattered  body,  llie  next 
morning  early,  the  tragedy  began  afresh,  dragging  him 
about  in  the  same  cruel  and  barbarous  manner,  till  he 
expired  :  but  their  malice  did  not  end  with  his  death, 
they  burnt  his  mangled  body,  after  they  had  so  inhu- 
manly deprived  it  of  life;  but  the  Christians,  after 
the  hellish  tragedy  was  over,  gathered  up  his  bones 
and  ashes,  and  decently  interred  them  near  the  place 
where  be  used  to  preach.  His  remains  were  after- 
wards, with  great  pomp,  removed  from  Alexandria  to 
Venice,  wdiere  they  are  religiously  honoured,  and  he 
adopted  as  the  titular  saint  and  patron  of  that  state 
and  people.     He  gulTered  martyrdom  on   the  25th  of 


LIFE  OF  ST.  MARK.  I37 

April,  but  the  year  is  not  absolutely  known ;  the  most 
probable  opinion  however  is,  that  it  happened  about 
the  end  of  Nero's  reign. 

As  to  his  person,  St.  Mark  was  of  a  middle  size  and 
stature,  his  nose  long,  his  eyebrows  turning  back,  his 
eyes  graceful  and  amiable,  his  head  bald,  his  beard  thick 
and  grey,  his  gait  cjuick,  and  the  constitution  of  his 
body  strong  and  healthful. 

The  only  writing  he  left  behind  him,  was  his  gospel, 
written  as  we  have  before  observed,  at  the  entreaty  and 
earnest  desire  of  the  converts  at  Rome,  who  not  con- 
tent  to  have  heard  St.  Peter  preach,  pressed  St.  Mark 
his  disciple,  to  commit  to  writing,  an  historical  account 
of  what  he  had  delivered  to  them,  which  he  performed 
with  equal  faithfulness  and  brevity,  and  being  perused 
and  approved  by  St.  Peter,  was  commanded  to  be  public- 
ly read  in  their  assemblies.  It  was  frequently  styled  St. 
Peter's  gospel,  not  because  he  dictated  it  to  St.  Mark, 
but  because  the  latter  composed  it  from  the  accounts 
St.  Peter  usually  delivered  in  his  discourses  to  the  peo- 
ple :  and  this  is  probably  the  reason  of  what  St.  Chrys- 
ostom  observes,  that  in  his  style  and  manner  of  ex<- 
pression,  he  delights  to  imitate  St.  Peter,  representing 
a  great  deal  in  a  few  words.  The  remarkable  impar- 
tiality he  observed  in  all  his  relations,  is  plain,  from 
hence,  that  he  is  so  far  from  concealing  the  shameful 
lapse  and  denial  of  Peter,  his  dear  tutor  and  master, 
that  he  describes  it  with  more  aggravating  circumstances 
than  any  of  the  other  evangelists.  The  Venetians  pre- 
tend to  have  the  original  Greek  copy  of  St.  Mark's 
gospel,  written  with  his  own  hand  :  but  this  manu- 
script, if  written  by  St.  Mark,  is  now  useless,  the  very- 
letters  being  rendered  illegible  by  length  of  time. 


VOL.  n. 


I3J  LIFE  or  Sr.  LUKE. 


ST.  LUKE  THE  EVANGELIST. 

u)T.  LUKE  was  bom  at  Antioch,  the  metropolis  of 
Syria,  a  city  celebrated  for  the  pleasantness  of  its  sit- 
uation, the  fertility  of  its  soil,  the  riches  of  its  com- 
merce,  the  wisdom  of  its  senate,  and  the  civility  and 
politeness  of  its  inhabitants,  by  the  pens  of  some  of  the 
greatest  orators  of  those  times.  It  was  eminent  for 
schools  of  learning,  which  produced  the  most  renown- 
ed masters  in  the  arts  and  sciences ;  so  that  being  born 
as  it  were,  in  the  lap  of  the  muses,  he  could  not  well 
fail  of  acquiring  an  ingenuous  and  liberal  education : 
but  he  Avas  not  contented  with  the  learning  of  his  own 
country,  he  travelled  for  improvement  into  several  parts 
of  Greece  and  Egypt,  and  became  particularly  skilled 
in  physic,  which  he  made  his  profession. 

They  who  would,  from  this  particular,  infer  the 
quality  of  his  birth  and  fortune,  seem  to  forget  that  the 
healing  art  was,  in  these  early  times,  generally  practised 
by  servants  ;  and  hence  Grotius  is  of  opinion  that  St. 
Luke  was  carried  to  Rome,  and  lived  there  a  servant 
to  some  noble  family,  in  quality  of  a  physician  :  but 
after  obtaining  his  freedom,  he  returned  into  to  his  ovvn 
country,  and  probably  continued  his  profession  till  his 
death,  it  being  so  highly  consistent  with,  and  in  many 
cases  subservient  to,  the  care  of  souls..  He  is  also  famous 
for  his  skill  in  another  art,  namely,  painting,  and  an 
ancient  inscription  was  found  in  a  vault  near  the  church 
of  St.  Maria  de  Via  Lata,  at  Rome,  supposed  to  have 
been  the  place,  where  St.  Paul  dwelt,  which  mentions 
a  picture  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  Una  ex  vii.  ab  Luc  a 
DEPicTis,  being  one  of  the  seven  painted  by  St,  JLuke> 

It  is  not  certainly  known  when  St.  Luke  became  a 
Christian,  after  having  been  a  Jewish  proselyte:  those 
who  understand  him  in  the  beginning  of  his  gospel,  to 
say  that  he  had  the  facts  from  the  reports  of  others,  who 
were  eye  witnesses,  suppose  him  to  have  been  convert* 


LIFE  OF  ST.  LUKE.  139 


-  t 


cd  by  St.  Paul,  and  that  he  learned  the  history  of 
his  gospel  from  the  conversation  of  that  apostle,  and 
wrote  it  under  his  direction ;  and  that  when  St.  Paul, 
in  one  of  his  epistles,  says,  according  to  my  gospel^  he 
means  this  of  St.  Luke,  which  he  styles  his,  from  tlie 
great  share  he  had  in  its  composition. 

They,  on  the  other  hand,  who  liold  that  he  wrote  his 
gospel  from  his  own  personal  knowledge,  observe,  thai 
he  could  not  receive  it  from  St.  Paul,  as  an  eye-witness 
of  the  matter  contained  in  it,  because  all  those  matters 
were  transacted  before  his  conversion ;  and  that  he  never 
saw  our  Lord  before  he  appeared  to  him  in  his  jour- 
ney to  Damascus,  which  was  some  time  after  he  ascend- 
ed into  heaven.  Consequently,  when  St.  Paul  says, 
according  to  my  gospel,  he  means  no  more  than  the  gos- 
pel in  general  which  he  preached  ;  the  whole  preaching 
of  tiie  apostles,  styled  the  gospel,  all  having  an  uniform 
tendency  to  inculcate  and  establish  the  faith  and  prac- 
tice of  the  Christian  religion. 

But  they  further  observe,  that  it  is  4iot  probable  that 
St.  Luke  was  converted  by  St  Paul,  because  the  latter 
would  in  that  case  have  styled  him  his  son,  it  being  the 
constant  practice  of  the  apostles  to  call  all  eminent  con- 
verts by  that  appellation  ;  but  he  mentions  him  by  tlie 
name  of  Luke,  the  beloved  physician*  They  therefore 
suppose  that  he  studied  tiie  law  in  one  of  the  sichools  of 
Jerusalem,  where  he  was  converted  by  our  Lord,  and 
was'one  of  the  seventy  disciples  mentioned  in  Scripture, 

However  this  be,  St.  Luke  became  the  inseparable 
companion  of  St.  Paul  in  all  his  travels,  and  his  constant 
fellow- labourer  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  ;  he  follow- 
ed him  in  all  his  dangers,  was  with  him  at  his  several 
arraignments  at  Jerusalem,  accompanied  him  in  his  te- 
dious  and  dangerous  voyage  to  Rome,  where  he  still  at- 
tended on  him,  to  administer  to  him  in  his  necessities, 
and  supply  those  ministerial  offices,  which  the  apostle's 
confinement  would  not  suffer  him  to  undcrtcrke ;  and 


140  LIFE  OF  ST.  LUKE. 

especially  in  carrying  messages  to  other  churches,  where 
he  had  planted  the  Christian  religion.  This  infinitely 
endeared  him  to  St.  Paul,  who  seemed  delighted  with 
ownine:  him  for  his  fellow-labourer  and  in  caliins:  him 
the  beloved  physician^  and  the /^ro^Aer  whose  praise  is 
in  thegospely  2  Cor.  viii.  18. 

It  is  very  probable,  he  did  not  leave  St.  Paul  till  he 
had  finished  his  course,  and  received  the  crown  of  mar- 
tyrdom ;  though  some  tell  us,  that  he  left  St.  Paul  at 
Rome,  and  returned  back  into  the  East,  travelling  into 
Egypt  and  several  parts  of  Lybia,  where  he  preached 
the  gospel,  wrought  miracles,  converted  multitudes, 
and  constituted  guides  and  ministers  of  religion ;  nay 
that  he  himself  undertook  the  episcopal  charge  of  the 
city  of  Thebais.  Epiphanius  tells  us,  that  he  first  preach- 
ed in  Dalmatia  and  Galatia,  then  in  Italy  and  Macedo- 
nia, where  he  spared  no  pains,  and  declined  no  dangers, 
that  he  might  faithfully  discharge  the  trust  committed 
to  him  by  his  great  Master. 

The  time  or  manner  of  his  death  are  not  very  Avell 
agreed  upon  by  the  ancients  ;  some  affirming  hiwi  to  die 
in  Egypt,  others  in  Greece,  the  Roman  martyrology 
in,Bythinia,  and  Dorothccus  at  Ephesus ;  some  will 
have  that  he  died  a  natural,  and  others  a  violent  death. 
Indeed,  neither  Eusebius  nor  St.  Jerom  take  any  notice 
of  it,  but  Gregory  Nazianzen,  Paulinus  bishop  of  Nola, 
and  several  others,  expressly  assert,  that  he  suffered 
martyrdom ;  and  Nicephorus  gives  us  this  particular 
account  of  it :  ''  That  coming  into  Greece,  he  success- 
fully preached  the  gospel,  and  baptised  many  converts 
into  the  Christian  faith,  till,  at  last,  a  party  of  infidels 
opposed  his  doctrines  ;  but  being  unable  to  silence  him 
by  reason  and  argument,  they  had  recourse  to  cruelty, 
dragged  him  from  the  place  where  he  was  teaching  the 
gospel,  and  hung  him  on  an  olive  tree,  in  the  eightieth, 
or  according  to  St.  Jerom,  in  the  eighty  fourth  year  of 
his  age."  Kirstenius  thinks,  he  suffered  martyrdom 
at  Rome  soon  after  St.  Pauls  first  imprisonment  be- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  LUKE.  Ul 

cause  he  did  not  continue  his  acts  of  the  apostles  any 
further,  which  it  is  natural  to  think  he  would|have  done 
had  he  lived  any  considerable  time  after  St.  Paul's  de- 
parture. His  body  was  afterwards,  by  the  command 
of  Constantine,  or  his  son  Constantius,  removed  with 
great  solemnity  to  Constantinople,  and  buried  in  the 
great  church,  erectedto  the  memory  of  the  apostles,  in 
that  city. 

His  gospel,  and  the  acts  of  the  apostles,  were  written 
by  him  for  the  use^f  the  church  ;  both  which  he  ded- 
icated to  Theophilus,  which  many  of  the  ancients  sup- 
posed to  be  a  feigned  name,  denoting  a  lover  of  God,  a 
title  common  to  all  sincere  Clu'istians  :  but  others  think 
it  was  a  real  person,  because  the  title  of  "  most  excel- 
lent," is  attributed  to  him,  the  usual  title  and  form  of 
address  in  those  times  to  princes  and  great  men.  Pro- 
bably he  was  some  magistrate,  whom  St.  Luke  had 
converted  and  baptized,  and  to  whom  he  dedicated 
these  books,  not  only  as  a  testimony  of  honourable  re- 
spect,  but  also  as  a  means  of  giving  him  further  certain- 
ty and  assurance  of  those  things-  wherein  he  had  in- 
structed him,  and  which  it  was  requisite  he  should  be 
informed  of. 

The  principal  transactions  of  our  Lord's  life  are  con- 
tained in  his  gospel ;  and  the  particulars  omitted  by 
him,  are,  in  general,  of  less  importance  than  those  the 
other  evangelists  forbear  to  mention. 

The  acts  of  the  apostles  written  by  St.  Luke  were  no 
doubt  penned  at  Rome,  about  the  time  of  St.  Paul's 
imprisonment  there,  with  which  he  concludes  his  his- 
tory. It  contains  the  actions,  and  sometimes  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  principal  apostles,  especially  St.  Paul, 
whose  activity  in  the  cause  of  Christ  made  him  bear 
a  greater  part  in  the  labours  of  his  master:  and  St.  Luke 
being  his  constant  attendant,  an  eye  witness  of  the  whole 
carriage  of  his  life,  and  privy  to  his  most  intimate  trans- 
actions was  consequently  capable  of  giving  a  more  full 


142  LIFE  OF  ST.  LUKE. 

aiid  satisfactory  account  of  them.  Amongst  other  things" 
he  enumerates  the  great  miracles  the  apostles  did  in 
confirmation  of  the  doctrine  they  advanced. 

His  manner  of  writing,  in  both  these  treatises,  is  ex- 
act and  accurate ;  his  style  noble  and  elegant,  sublime 
and  lofty,  and  yet  clear  and  perspicuous,  flowing  with 
an  easy  and  natural  grace  and  sweetness,  admirably 
adapted  to  an  historical  design.  In  short,  as  an  histo- 
rian, he  was  faithful  in  his  relations,  and  elegant  in  his 
writing ;  as  a  minister,  careful  and  diligent  for  the  good 
of  souls;  as  a  Christian,  devout  and  pious ;  and  to  crown 
all  the  rest,  laid  down  his  life  in  testimony  of  that  gos- 
pel he  had  both  preached  and  published  to  the  world, 
by  the  command  of  his  Lord. 


THE  LIFE  OF  ST.  JOHN, 

The  Apostle  and  Evangelist ;  commonly  called  the  Divine^ 


JL  HIS  beloved  disciple  of  our  Lord  was  a  native  of 
Galilee,  the  son  of  Zebedee  and  Salome,  one  of  those 
devout  women  that  constantly  attended  on  our  Lord  in 
his  ministry,  and  brother  of  James  the  Great.  Before 
his  becoming  a  disciple  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  he  was, 
in  all  probability,  a  follower  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  is 
thought  to  be  that  other  disciple,  who,  in  the  first  chap- 
ter of  his  gospel,  is  said  to  have  been  present  with  An- 
drew when  John  had  declared  Jesus  to  be  the  Lamb  of 
God  J  and  thereupon  to  have  followed  him  to  the  place 
of  his  residence. 

Though  St.  John  was  by  much  the  youngest  of  the 
apostles,  he  was  nevertheless  admitted  into  as  great  a 
share  of  his  Master's  confidence  as  any  of  them.  He 
v^as  one  of  those  to  whom  he  communicated  the  most 


P.IFK  OF  SIT.  LUKE.  U.T 

private  transactions  of  his  life  :  one  of  those  whom  he 
took  with  him  when  he  raised  the  daughter  of  J  aims 
from  the  dead  ;  one  of  those  to  -whom  he  exhibited  a 
specimen  of  his  divinit}',  in  his  transfiguration  on  the 
mount ;  one  of  those  who  were  present  at  liis  confer- 
ence with  Moses  and  EHas,  and  heard  that  voice  which 
declared  him  the  beloved  Son  of  God ;  and  one  of  those 
who  were  companions  in  his  solitude,  most  retired  de- 
votions, and  bitter  agonies  in  the  garden.  Thus  of 
the  three  who  were  made  the  witnesses  of  their  Master's 
actions,  which  it  was  convenient  to  conceal  from  the 
world,  St.  John  constantly  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  being 
one  :  nay,  even  of  these  three  he  seems  to  have  had,  in 
some  respects,  the  preference  :  witness  his  lying  on 
his  master's  bosom  at  the  paschal  supper :  and  even 
when  Peter  was  desirous  of  knowing  who  was  the  per- 
son that  should  betray  their  Master,  and  durst  not  him- 
self ask  the  question,  he  made  use  of  St.  John  to  pro- 
pose it  to  their  Lord,  as  the  person  most  likely  to  suc- 
ceed in  obtaining:  an  answer. 

Our  apostle  endeavoured,  in  some  measure,  to  an- 
swer these  instances  of  particular  favour,  by  returns  of 
particular  kindness  and  constancy  ;  for  though  he  had 
at  first  deserted  his  Master  on  his  apprehension,  yet  he 
soon  recovered  himself,  and  came  to  seek  his  saviour, 
confidently  entered  the  high-priest's  hall,  followed  our 
Lord  through  the  several  particulars  of  his  trial,  and  at 
last  waited  on  him  at  his  execution,  owning  him,  as 
well  as  being  owuied  by  him,  in  the  midst  of  armed 
soldiers,  and  in  the  thickest  crowds  of  his  most  invete- 
rate enemies.  Here  it  was  tliat  our  great  Redeemer 
committed  to  his  care  his  sorrowful  and  disconsolate 
mother  with  his  dying  breath.  And  certainly  the  holy 
Jesus  could  not  have  given  a  more  honourable  testimo- 
ny of  his  particular  respect  and  kindness  to  St.  John, 
than  by  leaving  his  own  mother  to  his  trust  and  care, 
and  substituting  him  to  supply  that  duty  he  himself  paid 
her,  while  he  resided  in  this  vale  of  sorrow  amongst  men. 


144  LIFE  OF  ST.  JOHN. 

St.  John  no  sooner  heard  of  our  Lord's  being  risen 
from  the  chambers  of  the  dust,  than  he,  in  company 
with  Peter,  hastened  to  the  sepulchre.  There  seems 
indeed  to  have  been  a  peculiar  intimacy  between  these 
two  disciples ;  it  was  Peter  that  St.  John  introduced 
into  the  palace  of  the  high-priest;  it  was  Peter  to  whom 
he  gave  notice  of  Christ's  appearing  when  he  came 
to  them  at  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  in  the  habit  of  a  stran. 

frer;  and  it  was  for  St.  John  that  Peter  was  so  solici- 
'-^  .        •  •  . 

tously  inquisitive  to  know  what  was  determined  con- 
cerning him  when  our  Saviour  expressed  himself  some- 
what ambiguously  respecting  that  disciple. 

After  the  ascension  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world, 
when  the  apostles  made  a  division  of  the  provinces 
amongst  themselves,  that  of  Asia  fell  to  the  share  of 
St.  John,  though  he  did  not  immediately  enter  upon 
his  charge,  but  continued  at  Jerusalem  till  the  death  of 
the  blessed  Virgin,  which  happened  about  fifteen  years 
after  our  Lord's  ascension:  being  released  from  the 
trust  committed  to  his  care  by  his  dying  Master,  he  re- 
tired into  Asia,  and  industriously  applied  himself  to 
the  propagating  of  Christianity,  preaching  where  the 
gospel  had  not  yet  been  known,  and  confirming  it  where 
it  was  already  planted.  Many  churches  of  note  and 
emnience  were  of  his  founding,  particularly  those  of 
Symrna,  Pergamos,  Thyatira,  Sardis,  Philadelphia,  La- 
odicea,  and  others;  but  his  chief  place  of  residence 
was  at  Ephesus,  where  St.  Paul  had  many  years  before 
founded  a  church,  and  constituted  Timothy  bishop  of 
it.  Nor  can  we  suppose  that  he  confined  his  ministry 
entirely  to  Asia  Minor;  it  is  highly  reasonable  to  think 
that  he  preached  in  other  parts  of  the  East,  probably 
to  the  Parthians,  his  first  epistle  being  anciently  di- 
rected to  them ;  and  the  Jesuits  assure  us  that  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  kingdom  of  Bassora  in  India,  affirm,  that, 
according  to  a  tradition  handed  down  from  their  ances- 
tors, St.  John  planted  the  Christian  faith  in  their  coun- 
try, where  the  Christians  are  called  by  his  name. 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JOHN.  U5 

Having  spent  several  years  at  Ephcsiis,  he  was  accus- 
ed to  Domitian,  who  had  begun  a  persecution'  against 
the  Christians  as  an  eminent  asserter  of  Atheism  and 
impiety,  and  a  pubUc  subverter  of  the  religion  of  the 
empire ;  so  that  by  his  command,  the  proconsul  sent 
him  bound  to  Rom.e,  where  he  met  with  the  treatment 
that  might  have  been  expected  from  so  barbarous  a 
prince,  being  thrown  into  a  cauldron  of  boiling  oil :  but 
the  Almighty,  who  reserved  him  for  further  services  in 
the  vineyard  of  his  Son,  restrained  the  heat,  as  he  did 
in  the  fiery  furnace  of  old,  and  delivered  him  from  this 
seeming  unavoidable  destruction.      And  surely  one 
would  have  thought  that  so  miraculous  a  deliverance 
would  ha\e  been  sufficient  to  have  persuaded  any  ra- 
tional man  that  the  religion  he  taught  was  from  God, 
and  that  he  w^as  protected  from  danger  by  the  hand  of 
Omnipotence ;  but  miracles  themselves  were  not  sufti- 
cient  to  convince  this  cruel  emperor,  or  aba.teliis  Fury: 
he  ordered  St.  John  to  be  transported  to  a  disconsolate 
island  in  the  Archipelago,  called  Patmos,  where  he 
continued  several  years  instructing  the  poor  inhabitants 
in  the  knowledge  of  the   Christian  faith ;  and  here, 
about  the  end  of  Domitian's  reign,  he  v/rote  his  book 
of  Revelation,  exhibiting,  by  visions  and  prophetical 
representations,  the  state  and  condition  of  Cliristianity 
in  the  future  periods  and  ages  of  the  church,  till  the 
final  consummation  of  all  things. 

After  the  death  of  Domitian,  and  on  the  succession, 
of  Nerva,  who  repealed  all  the  odious  acts  of  his  pre- 
decessor, and  by  public  edicts  recalled  those  whom  the 
fury  of  Domitian  had  banished,  St.  John  returned  to 
Asia  and  fixed  his  seat  again  at  Ephesus ;  and  rather, 
because  the  people  of  that  city  had  lately  martjred 
Timothy  their  bishop.  Here,  with  the  assistance  of 
•seven  other  bishops,  he  took  upon  himself  the  gov^TJi- 
ment  of  the  large  diocese  of  Asia  Minor,  erected  ora- 
tories, and  disposed  of  the  clergy  in  the  best  raannci* 
that  the  circumstances  of  those  times  would  permit, 
spending  his  time  in  an  indefatigable*- execution  of  his 

VOL.il.  T 


ii!y  LIFE  OF  ST.  JOHiV. 

charge,  travelling  from  East  to  West  to  instruct  the 
world  in  the  principles  of  the  holy  religion,  he  was  sent 
to  propagate.  In  this  manner  St.  John  continued  to 
labour  in  the  vineyard  of  his  great  Master,  till  death 
put  a  period  to  iill  his  toils  and  sufferings;  which  hap- 
pened in  the  beginning  of  Trajan's  reign,  in  the  ninety- 
eighth  year  of  his  age,  and  he  was  buried  near  Ephesus* 
according  to  Eusebius. 

This  great  evangelist  and  apostle  seems  always  to 
have  led  a  single  life;  though  some  of  the  ancients  tell 
us  he  was  a  married  man.  With  regard  to  his  natural 
temper,  he  seems  to  have  been  of  an  eager  and  reso- 
lute disposition,  easily  inflamed,  but  which  age  had  re- 
duced to  a  calmer  temper.  He  was  polished  by  no 
study  or  arts  of  learning;  but,  what  Vv'as  wanting  from 
human  art,  was  abundantly  supplied  by  the  excellent 
constitution  of  his  mind,  and  that  fulness  of  divine 
grace  with  which  he  was  adorned :  his  humility  v/as 
admirable,  studiously  concealing  his  own  honour;  for 
in  his  epistles,  he  never  styles  himself  either  a]X)stle  or 
evangelist;  the  title  of  presbyter  or  elder,  is  all  he  as- 
sumes, and  probably  in  regard  to  his  age  as  much  as 
his  office,  in  his  gospel,  when  he  speaks  of  the  Disciple 
whoin  Jesus  loved^  he  constantly  conceals  his  own  name, 
leavino:  the  reader  to  discover  v/hom  he  meant :  love 
and  charity  he  practised  himself,  and  affectionately 
pressed  them  upon  others;  the  great  love  of  his  Sa- 
viour towards  him,  seems  to  have  inspired  his  soul  with 
a  larger  and  more  generous  charity  than  the  rest.  This 
is  the  great  vein  that  runs  through  all  his  writings,  es- 
pecially his  epistles,  where  he  urges  it  as  the  great  and 
peculiar  law  of  Cliristianity,  and  without  which  all 
other  pretences  to  the  religion  of  the  holy  Jesus  are 
vain  and  frivolous,  useless  and  insignificant:  and  this 
was  his  constant  practice  to  the  very  hour  of  his  dis- 
solution ;  for  when  age  and  the  decays  of  nature  had 
rendered  him  so  weak  that  he  was  unable  to  preach  to 
the  people  any  longer,  he  was  constantly  led,  at  every 
public  meeting,  to  the  church  of  Ephesus,  and  always 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JOHN.  147 

repeated  to  them  the  same  precept,  Little  children  love 
one  anot/ier:  and  when  his  hearers,  wearied  with  the 
constant  repetition  of  the  same  thini^,  asked  him  whv 
he  never  varied  his  discourse,  he  answered,  "Because 
to  love  one  another  was  the  command  of  our  blessed 
Saviour,  and  if  they  did  nothing  more,  this  alone  was 
sufficient  to  denote  whose  tliey  were,  and  whom  the^ 
served." 

The  largest  measures  of  his  charity  were,  however, 
displaj'cd  in  the  remarkable  care  he  took  to  promote 
the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  men;  travelling  from  East 
to  West,  in  propagating  the  principles  of  that  religion 
he  was  sent  to  teach,  patiently  enduring  every  torment, 
surmounting  every  difficulty,  and  removing  every 
obstacle,  to  save  the  souls  of  the  human  race,  free 
their  minds  from  error  and  idolatry,  and  turn  them 
from  the  paths  of  vice  and  debauchery.  Amongst  ma- 
ny other  instances  of  this  kind,  Eusebius  relates  the 
folio  win  2:. 

"  St.  John,  during  one  of  his  visitations  of  the  church 
at  Ephesus,  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  appearance 
and  behaviour  of  a  yoiuig  man,  whom  he  called  to  him, 
and,  with  a  special  charge,  recommended  to  the  bishop, 
who  undertook  the  trust,  and  promised  to  discharge  it 
with  the  greatest  fidelity :  accordingl}',  the  bishop  took 
him  home  with  him  to  his  house,  carefully  instructed 
him  in  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  at 
last  baptised  and  confirmed  him.  After  he  had  pro- 
ceeded thus  far,  he  thought  he  might  a  little  relax  the 
reins  of  discipline;  but  the  youth  made  a  bad  use  of 
his  lilxirty,  and  being  debauched  by  evil  company,  be- 
came  the  captain  of  a  gang  of  robbers,  and  committed 
the  most  horrid  outrages  in  the  adjacent  countries.  St. 
John,  being  informed  of  this  at  his  return,  sharply  re- 
proved the  bishop,  and  determined  to  find  the  }^oung 
man  out;  never  considering  the  d^igerstliat  would  in- 
evitably attend  him,  by  venturing  himself  amongst 
persons  of  desperate  fortunes  :  accordingly,  he  repaired 


148  LIFE  OF  ST.  JOHN. 

to  the  mountains  where  they  usually  abode,  and  being 
taken  by  one  of  the  robbers  placed  as  a  watch,  he  de- 
sired to  be  carried  to  their  captain,  who,  on  seeing  St. 
John  coming  towards  him,  immediately  fled.  The  apos-  - 
tie  forgetting  his  age,  hastened  after  him ;  but  being 
unable  to  overtake  him,  he  passionately  cried  out, 
'  Child,  ^vhy  dost  thou  run  from  thy  Father,  an  old 
and  defenceless  man?  Spare  me  the  pains  of  following 
thee,  and  let  not  terrors  and  despair  seize  upon  thee. 
Thy  salvation  is  not  irrecoverable.  Stay,  and  be  con- 
vinced that  Christ  himself  hath  sent  me.'  At  these 
words  the  young  man  stopped,  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the 
earth,  trembled  in  every  part,  and  burst  into  a  flood  of 
tears.  And  when  the  aged  apostle  approached  he  cm- 
braced  him,  and  implored  forgiveness  with  such  weep- 
ing and  lamentations,  that  he  seemed  to  be  re-baptized, 
and  to  wash  away  his  sins  with  his  own  tears.  The 
apostle  received  him  with  the  greatest  kindness,  assured 
him  that  he  had  obtained  pardon  for  his  sins  at  the 
hands  of  his  OTcat  Redeemer,  and  returned  him  a  true 
penitent  and  convert  to  the  church  of  which  he  was  a 
member. 

Our  apostle's  cai'e  for  the  souls  of  men,  is  further 
evidenced  by  the  writings  he  left  to  posterity.  The  first 
of  which  in  time,  though  placed  last  in  the  sacred  can- 
on, is  his  Apocalypse,  or  book  of  Revelation,  which 
he  wrote  during  his  banishment  to  Patmos.  After  the 
preface  and  admonition  given  to  the  bishops  of  the  se- 
ven churches  in  Asia,  it  contains  a  prophetic  view  of 
the  persecutions  the  faithful  were  to  suffer  from  the  Jews, 
Heretics,  and  tyrannical  princes,  together  with  the 
peaceable  and  flourishing  state  of  the  church,  till  dis- 
turbed by  other  enemies;  and  the  happiness  of  the 
church  triumphant  in  heaven.  And  hence  St.  John  is, 
in  the  strictest  sense,  a  prophet,  and  has  thereby  one 
material  addition  to  his  titles,  being  not  only  an  apostle 
and  evangelist,  but  also  a  prophet:  an  honour  peculiar 
to  himself.  St.  Peter  was  an  apostle,  but  no  evange- 
list: St.  Mark  and  St.  Luke  were  evaneelists,  but  no 


LIIE  OF  ST.  JOHN.  149 

apostles:  St.  Matthew,  was  an  apostle  and  evangelist, 
but  no  prophet :  but  St.  John  was  an  apostle,  an  evan- 
gelist, and  a  prophet  likewise. 

His  three  epistles  take  place,  in  order  of  time,  next 
to  the  Apocalypse ;  the  first  of  which  is  catholic,  be- 
ing calcidated  for  all  times  and  places,  and  containing 
the  most  excellent  rules  for  the  conduct  of  a  Christian 
life,  pressing  to  holiness  and  pureness  of  manners,  and 
not  to  be  satisfied  with  a  naked  and  empty  profession 
of  religion ;  not  to  be  led  away  with  the  crafty  insinua- 
tions of  seducers  ;  and  cautioning  men  against  the  poi- 
sonous principles  and  practices  of  the  Gnostics.  The 
apostle  here,  according  to  his  usual  modesty  conceals 
his  name,  it  being  of  more  consequence  to  a  wise  man 
what  is  said,  than  he  who  says  it.  It  appears  from  St. 
Augustine,  that  this  epistle  was  anciently  inscribed  to 
the  Parthians,  because,  in  all  probability,  St.  John 
preached  the  gospel  in  Parthia.  The  other  two  epistles 
are  but  short,  and  directed  to  particular  persons;  the 
one  a  lady  of  great  quality,  the  other  to  the  charitable 
and  hospitable  Gains,  the  kindest  friend,  and  the  most 
courteous  entertainer  of  all  indigent  Christians,  in  those 
primitive  times. 

We  are  told  by  Eusebius  and  St.  Jerom,  that  St. 
John,  having  perused  the  other  three  gospels,  approved 
and  confirmed  them  by  his  authority ;  but  observing,  at 
the  same  time,  that  these  evangelists  had  omitted  seve- 
ral of  our  blessed  Saviour's  transactions,  particularly 
those  w^ich  were  performed  before  the  Baptist's  im- 
prisonment, he  wrote  his  gospel  to  supply  what  was 
wanting  in  them :  and  because  several  Heretics  were 
at  that  time  sprung  up  in  the  church,  who  denied  the  di- 
vinity of  our  blessed  Saviour,  he  took  care  to  guard 
against  these  heresies,  by  proving  that  our  great  Re- 
deemer was  God  from  everlasting.  He  largclv  records 
our  Saviour's  discourses,  but  takes  little  notice  of  his 
miracles,  probably  because  the  other  evangelists  had  so 
fully  and  particularly  written  concerning  them. 


low  hl¥k  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

Previous  to  his  undertaking  the  task  of  writing  his 
gospel,  he  caused  a  general  fast  to  be  kept  by  all  the 
Asian  churches,  to  implore  the  blessing  of  heaven  on 
so  great  and  momentuous  an  undertaking.  When  this 
was  done,  he  set  about  the  work,  and  compleated  it  in 
so  excellent  and  sublime  a  manner,  that  the  ancients 
generally  compared  him  to  an  eagle's  soaring  aloft 
amongst  the  clouds,  whither  the  weak  eye  of  man  was 
not  able  to  follow  him.  *^  Amongst  all  the  evangelical 
writers,"  says  St.  Basil,"  "  none  are  like  St.  John,  the 
son  of  thunder,  for  the  sublimity  of  his  speech,  and 
the  height  of  his  discourses,  which  are  beyond  any 
man's  capacity  fully  to  reach  and  comprehend."  ''  St. 
John,  as  a  true  son  of  thunder,"  says  Epiphanius,  by 
a  loftiness  of  speech  peculiar  to  himself,  "  acquaints  us, 
as  it  were  out  of  the  clouds  and  dark  recesses  of  wis- 
dom", with  the  divine  doctrine  of  the  Son  of  God,  the 
glorious  Saviour  of  mankind." 

Thus  we  have  given  the  character  of  the  writings  of 
this  great  apostle  and  evangelist,  who  as  we  have  hint- 
ed before,  was  honoured  with  the  endearing  title  of 
being  the  beloved  disciple  of  the  Son  of  God ;  and  was 
a  writer  so  sublime  as  to  deserve,  by  way  of  eminence, 
the  character  of  St,  John  the  Divine, 


THE  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL, 

The  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles* 


JL  HIS  eminent  and  laborious  apostle  was  a  native  of 
Tarsus,  and  a  descendant  from  the  ancient  stock  of 
Abraham.  He  was  born  about  two  years  before  the 
blessed  Jesus,  and  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
the  youngest  son  of  Jacob,  who  thus  prophecied  of  him. 
Benjamin  shall  raven  as  a  wolf;  in  the  morning  he  shall 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  151 

devour  the  prey,  a7id  at  night  he  shall  divide  the  spoil ; 
a  propheticl  character  which  Tertullian  and  others  will 
liave  to  be  accomplished  in  this  apostle :  for  in  his 
youth,  or  the  morning  of  his  days,  he  persecuted  the 
churches,  destroying  the  flock  of  the  Almighty  ;  de- 
vouring the  prey  :  in  his  declining  age,  or  evening  of 
his  days,  he  became  a  physician  of  the  nations,  feeding 
and  distributins:  with  the  [greatest  care  and  assiduit\ , 
the  sheep  of  Christ,  the  great  Shepherd  of  Israel. 

The  place  of  this  apostle's  nativity,  was  Tarsus,  the 
metropolis  of  Cilica,  situated  about  three  hundred  miles 
distant  from  Jerusalem  ;  it  was  exceedingly  rich  and 
populous,  and  a  Roman  minicipium,  or  free  corpora- 
tion, invested  with  the  privileges  of  Rome  by  the  two 
first  emperors,  as  a  reward  for  the  citizens'  firm  adhe- 
rence to  the  Caesars,  in  the  rebellion  of  Crassus.  St. 
Paul  was  therefore  born  a  Roman  citizen,  and  he  often 
pleads  this  privilege  on  his  trials. 

The  inhabitants  of  Tarsus  usually  sent  their  children 
into  other  cities  for  learning  and  improvement,  espe- 
cially to  Jerusalem,  where  they  were  so  numerous  that 
they  had  a  synagogue  of  their  own,  called  the  syna- 
gogue of  theCilicians.  To  this  capital  our  apostle  was 
also  sent,  and  brought  up  at  the  feet  of  that  eminent 
rabbi  Gamaliel,  in  the  most  exact  knowledge  of  the  law 
of  Moses  :  nor  did  he  fail  to  profit  by  the  instructions 
of  that  great  master ;  for  he  so  diligently  conformed 
himself  to  his  precepts,  that,  without  boasting,  he  as- 
serts of  himself,  that  touching  the  righteousness  of  the 
law,  he  was  blameless,  and  defied  even  his  enemies  to 
alledge  any  thing  to  the  contrary,  even  in  his  youth. — 
He  joined  himself  to  the  sect  of  the  Pharisees,  the  most 
strict  order  of  the  Jewish  religion ;  but,  at  the  same 
time,  the  proudest,  and  the  greatest  enemies  to  Christ 
and  his  holy  religion,  as  evidently  appears  by  the  cha- 
racter given  of  them  by  the  evangelists,  and  our  Lord's 
description  of  that  self  righteous  sect* 


152  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 


•i 


Respecting  his  double  capacity,  of  Jewish  extraction 
and  Roman  freedom,  he  had  two  names,  Saul  mid  Paul, 
the  former  Hebrew,  and  the  latter  Latin.  It  was  com- 
mon for  the  descendants  of  Benjamin  to  give  the  name 
of  Saul  to  their  children  ever  since  the  time  of  the  first 
king  of  Israel,  who  was  chosen  out  of  that  tribe  ;  and 
Paul  was  a  name  as  common  amongst  the  Romans.  We 
must  also  consider  his  trade  of  tent-making  as  part 
of  his  education,  it  being  the  constant  practice  of  the 
Jews,  to  bring  up  their  children  to  some  honest  calling, 
that,  in  case  of  necessity,  they  might  provide  for  them- 
selves by  the  labour  of  their  own  hands,  without  being 
burthensome  to  the  public. 

Having  obtained  a  thoroughknowledge  of  the  sciences 
cultivated  by  the  Jews,  and  being  naturally  of  a  very 
Iiot  and  fiery  temper,  Saul  became  a  great  champion 
for  the  law  of  Moses,  and  the  tradition  of  the  elders, 
which  he  considered  as  a  zeal  for  God.  This  rendered, 
him  impatient  of  all  opposition  to  the  doctrine  and  tenets 
he  had  imbibed,  and  a  vehement  blasphemer  and  per- 
secutor of  Christians,  who  were  commonly  reputed  the 
enemies  and  destroyers  of  the  Jewish  economy.  We 
must  not  however  consider  our  apostle  as  guilty  of  the 
pride  and  hypocrisy  of  the  Pharisees  ;  for  he  declares, 
that  he  had  ever  been  careful  to  act  in  conformity  to  the 
dictates  of  his  conscience,  by  which  he  thought  himself 
bound  to  do  many  things  contrary  to  the  name  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth.  It  was  therefore  the  prejudice  of  his 
education,  and  the  natural  warmth  of  his  temper,  that 
excited  him  to  those  violent  persecutions  of  the  Chris- 
tians, for  which  he  became  so  famous  in  the  infancy 
of  the  church. 

We  find  that  the  first  action  he  enrasred  in,  was 
the  disputation  he  and  his  rountr}'men  had  with  the 
martyr  Stephen,  concerning  tlie  Messiah.  The  Chi'isi- 
tian  was  too  hard  for  them  in  t^P  dispute ;  but  they 
were  too  powerful  for  him  in  tlicir  civil  interests;  for 
being  enraged  at  his  convincing  arguments,  they  car- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  153 

ried  him  before  tlic  high-priest,  who  by  false  accusa- 
tions condemned  him  to  death.  How  far  Saul  was 
concerned  in  this  cruel  action,  is  impossible  to  say  ;  all 
we  know  is,  that  he  kept  the  raiment  of  them  that  slew 
him,  and,  consequently,  was  accessary  to  his  death. 

The  enemies  of  the  church  havins:  thus  raised  a 
storm  of  persecution  against  it,  it  increased  prodigiously, 
and  the  poor  Christians  of  Jerusalem  were  miserably 
harrassed  and  dispersed.  In  this  persecution,  our  apos- 
tle was  principal  agent,  searching  all  the  adjacent  parts  for 
the  afflicted  saints,  beating  some  in  the  synagogue,  com- 
pelling some  to  blaspheme,  confining  some  in  prison, 
and  procuring  others  to  be  put  to  death  for  their  pro- 
fession :  nor  could  Jerusalem  and  the  adjacent  parts 
confine  his  fiery  zeal ;  he  applied  to  the  Sanhedrim,  and 
procured  a  commission  from  that  court,  to  extend  his 
persecution  to  Damascus.  How  eternally  insatiable  is 
the  fury  of  a  misguided  zeal !  how  restless  and  un- 
wearied in  its  designs  of  cruelty  ?  It  had  already  suf- 
ficiently harrassed  the  poor  Christians  at  Jerusalem,  but 
not  content  with  thatj  it  persecuted  them  to  strange 
cities,  even  to  Dam.ascus  itself,  whither  many  of  then\  ' 
had  fled  for  shelter,  resolving  to  bring  them  b-ack  to 
Jerusalem,  in  order  to  their  punishment  and  execu- 
tion  there. 

We  think  it  necessary  to  observe  here,  that  the  Jew- 
ish Sanhedrim  had  not  only  the  power  of  seizing  and 
scourging  ofienders  against  their  law  within  the  bounds 
of  their  own  country,  but,  by  the  connivance  and  fa- 
vour of  the  Romans,  might  send  into  other  coun- 
tries,  where  there  were  any  synagogues  that  acknow- 
ledged a  dependence  in  religious  aifairs  upon  the  coun- 
cil of  Jerusalem,  to  apprehend  them  :  and  accordingly 
Saul  \vas  sent  to  Damascus,  to  apprehend  what  Chris- 
tians he  could  find  in  that  city,  and  bring  them  bound 
to  Jerusalem,  to  be  tried  and  punished. 

It  was  however  Saul's  peculiar  happiness,  that  the 

VOL.  ii.  u 


154  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

Almighty  designed  to  employ  him  in  a  work  of  a  very 
difterent  nature,  and  accordingly  stopped  him  in  his 
ioiimey  :  for  as  he  was  travelling  between  Jerusalem 
and  Damascus,  to  execute  the  commission  of  the  Jew- 
ish Sanhedrim,  a  refulgent  light,  far  exceeding  the 
brightness  of  the  sun,  darted  upon  him  ;  at  which  both 
he  and  his  companions  were  terribly  amazed  and  con- 
founded, falling  together  with  their  horses,  prostrate  on 
the  ground.  Amidst  this  confusion,  a  voice  was  heard 
in  the  Hebrew  language,  saying,  Said^  Said^  why  per- 
seciitest  thou  me  ?  To  which  Saul  replied,  TVho  art  thouy 
Lord  ?  And  was  immediately  answered,  /  a7n  Jesus,  of 
Nazareth,  xvhom  thou  persecutest :  it  is  hard  for  thee 
to  kick  against  the  pricks.  As  if  the  blessed  Jesus 
had  said,  ''  All  thy  attempts  to  extirpate  the  faith  in  me, 
will  prove  abortive,  and,  like  kicking  against  the  spikes 
wound  and  torment  thyself  the  more." 

Being  now  sufficiently  convinced  of  his  folly  in  act- 
inp-  against  Jesus,  whom  he  was  now  assured  to  be  the 
true  Messiah,  Saul  asked,  Lordy  what  wilt  thou  have 
me  to  do  ?  On  which  the  blessed  Jesus  informed  him 
of  the  true  intention  of  his  appearance,  '  Arise,  said  he, 
and  stand  upon  thy  feet ;  for  I  have  appeared  unto  thee 
for  this  purpose,  to  make  thee  a  minister  and  a  witness, 
both  of  these  things  which  thou  hast  seen,  and  of  those 
things  in  the  which  I  will  appear  unto  thee  ;  delivering 
thee  from  the  people,  and  from  the  Gentiles,  unto  whom 
now  I  send  thee,  to  open  their  eyes,  and  to  turn  them 
from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  po\^  er  of  Satan 
unto  God,  that  they  may  receive  forgiveness  of  sins^ 
and  inheritance  amongst  them  which  are  sanctified  by 
faith  that  is  in  me.  Acts  xxvi.  16,  17,  18.  And 
for  further  instruction  the  immaculate  Jesus  referred 
him  to  one  of  his  followers,  nanled  Ananias,  command- 
ing him  to  repair  immediately  to  the  city,  and  receive 
further  instruction  from  that  disciple. 

The  men  who  were  with  him  heard  tlie  voice,  but 
did  not  see  the  person  w  ho  spake  from  heaven :  in  all 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  155 

probability  they  were  ignorant  of  tlic  Hebrew  lanp;iiaii^e, 
and  therefore  only  heard  a  confused  sound  ;  Ibr  the 
apostle  himself  tells  us,  that  they  heard  not  the  voice 
of  him  that  spake,  that  is,  they  did  not  liear  it  with  a 
proper  degree  of  understanding. 

Saul  now  arose  from  the  earth,  but  found  himself  de- 
prived of  sight,  the  resplendent  brightness  of  the  vision 
being  too  intense  for  mortal  eyes  to  behold.  His  com- 
panions therefore  led  him  by  the  hand  to  the  city  of 
Damascus,  where  he  entered  the  house  of  Judas,  and 
remained  there  three  days  without  sight,  neither  did  he 
eat  or  drink  but  spent  his  time  in  prayer  to  the  Almigh- 
ty, beseeching  him  to  pai'don  the  sins  of  his  past  life, 
and  be  gracious  to  him. 

Our  blessed  Saviour,  in  the  mean  time  appeared  in 
a  vision  to  Ananias,  a  very  devout  and  religious  man, 
highly  esteemed  by  all  the  inhabitants  of  Damascus, 
though  he  professed  the  religion  of  the  crucified  Jesus^ 
commanding  him  to  go  into  such  a  street  of  the  city, 
and  enquire  in  the  house  of  Judas,  for  one  Saul  of 
Tarsus,  then  offering  up  the  most  fervent  prayers  to  the 
throne  of  grace.  Ananias,  who,  was  ever  ready  to  obey 
the  commands  of  the  Most  High,  staitled  at  the  name, 
having  heard  of  his  bloody  practices  at  Jerusalem,  and 
what  commission  he  w^as  now  come  to  execute  in  Da- 
mascus :  he  therefore  suspected  that  his  pretended  con- 
version was  nothing  more  than  a  snare  artfuli}'  laid  for 
the  Christians.  But  our  blessed  Saviour  soon  removed 
his  apprehensions,  by  telling  him  that  his  suspicions 
were  entirely  destitute  of  foundation  ;  and  that  he  had 
now  taken  him  as  a  chosen  vessel  to  preach  the  gospel 
both  to  llie  Jews  and  Gentiles,  and  even  before  the 
greatest  monarchs  of  the  earth  ;  acquainting  liini  at  the 
same  time,  with  the  great  things  he  should  do  and  suffer 
for  the  sake  of  the  gospel,  \vhat  chains  and  impiison- 
ments,  what  racks  and  scourges,  what  hiuiger  and  thirst, 
what  shipwrecks,  and  that,  at  last,  he  should  even  suf- 
ler  death  itself. 


156  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

The  fears  of  Ananias  l^eing  thus  quieted,  he  imme* 
diately  obeyed  the- heavenly  vision,  repaired  to  the  house 
of  Judas,  and  laid  hands  upon  Saul,  saying,  ''That  Je- 
sus who  appeared  to  thee  in  the  way,  hath  sent  me  to 
restore  thy  sight,  and  by  the  infusion  of  his  spirit,  to 
give  thee  tlie  knowledge  of  those  truths  which  thou  hast 
blindly  and  ignorantly  persecuted ;  but  who  now  is  wil- 
ling to  receive  thee  by  baptism  into  his  church,  and  make 
thee  a  member  of  his  body." 

This  speech  was  no  sooner  pronounced,  than  there  fell 
from  his  eyes,  thick  films  resembling  scales,  and  he 
received  his  sight,  and  after  baptism  conversed  freely 
with  the  Christians  of  Damascus.  Nor  did  he  only  con- 
verse with  them  ;  he  also  to  the  great  astonishment  of 
the  whole  church,  preached  the  gospel  to  those  Chris- 
tians he  came  down  with  an  intention  to  destroy,  bold- 
ly asserting,  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ  the  Son  of  God ; 
and  proving  it  to  the  Jews  with  such  demonstrative  evi- 
dence, that  they  w  ere  confounded,  and  found  it  impos- 
sible to  answer  him,  or  disapprove  his  arguments. 

St.  Paul  did  not  stay  long  at  Damascus  after  his  con- 
version ;  nor  did  he  return  to  Jerusalem,  but  being 
commanded  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles,  he  re- 
tired into  Arabia  Petrse,  where  he  received  a  full  reve- 
lation of  all  the  mvsteries  of  Christianity  ;  for  he  him- 
self  declares,  that  he  conversed  not  with  flesh  and  blood. 
And  having  preached  in  several  parts  of  that  country 
some  time,  he  returned  again  to  Damascus,  applying 
himself  with  the  utmost  assiduity  to  the  great  work  of 
the  ministiy,  frequenting  the  synagogues  there,  power- 
fully confuting  the  objections  commonly  made  by  the 
descendants  of  Jacob  against  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and 
converting  great  numbers  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  to  the 
faith. 

This  apostle  was  indeed  remarkably  zealous  in  hi.s 
preaching,  and  blessed  with  a  very  extraordinary  me- 
thod of  reaisoning,  whereby  he  proved  the  fundamenti^l 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  157 

points  of  Christianity  beyond  exception.  This  irritiited 
the  Jews  to  the  highest  degree:  and.  at  length,  after 
two  or  three  years  continuance  in  those  parts,  they  found 
means  to  prevail  on  the  governor  of  Damascus  to  have 
him  put  to  death :  but  they  knew  it  would  be  difficult  to 
take  him,  as  he  had  so  many  friends  in  tlie  city;  they 
therefore  kept  themselves  a  continual  watcli,  searched  all 
the  houses  where  they  supposed  he  might  conceal  him- 
self, and  also  obtained  a  guard  from  the  governor  to  ob- 
serve the  gates,  in  order  to  prevent  his  escaping  from 
the  place. 

His  Christian  friends  were  far  from  deserting  him  in 
this  distress ;  they  tried  every  method  that  offered  to 
procure  his  escape:  but  finding  it  impossible  for  him  to 
pass  through  either  of  the  gates  of  the  city,  they  let 
him  down  from  one  of  their  houses  through  a  window 
in  a  basket,  over  the  wall,  by  which  means  the  cruel 
designs  of  his  enemies  were  rendered  ineffectual.  St. 
Paul  having  thus  eacaped  from  his  malicious  persecu- 
tors, repaired  to  Jerusalem,  and,  on  his  arrival,  ad- 
dressed himself  to  the  church:  but  they  knowing  well 
the  former  temper  and  principles  of  this  great  perse- 
cutor, shunned  his  company,  till  Barnabas  brought  him 
to  Peter,  who  was  not  yet  cast  into  prison,  and  to  James 
our  Lord's  brother,  bishop  of  Jerusalem,  informing 
them  of  his  miraculous  conversion,  and  that  he  had 
preached  the  gospel  with  the  greatest  boldness  in  the 
synagogue  of  Damascus ;  upon  which  they  gladly  re- 
ceived him,  and  entertained  him  fifteen  days  with  the 
greatest  hospitality  and  affection. 

He  was  remarkably  assidious  during  this  interval, 
in  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  con- 
futing the  Hellenistic  Jews,  with  the  greatest  courage 
and  resolution.  But  snares  were  soon  laid  for  him,  as 
malice  can  as  easily  cease  to  be,  as  to  remain  inactive; 
and  being  warned  by  God  in  a  vision,  that  his  testimo- 
ny would  not  be  recei\  ed  at  Jerusalem,  and  therefore 
it  was  necessar}'  foi'  him  to  depart  and  preach  the  gos- 


155.  LIFE  OF  ST.  rAUL. 

pel  to  the  Gentiles.  Accordingly,  being  conducted 
by  the  brethren  to  Cecsarea  Philippi,  he  set  sail  for  Tar- 
sus, his  native  city;  from  whence  he  was  soon  after 
brought  by  Barnabas  to  Antioch,  to  assist  him  in  pro- 
pagating Christianity  in  that  city.  In  this  employment 
he  spent  one  whole  year,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
the  gospel  flourish  in  a  very  remarkable  manner  in 
those  parts. 

Here  the  disciples  first  acquired  the  name  of  Chris- 
tians, for  before  they  were  styled  Nazareens ;  but  this 
appellation  soon  prevailed  all  over  the  world,  and  the 
former  was  in  a  few  ages,  almost  entirely  laid  aside. 

A  terrible  famine,  foretold  by  Hygabus,  happened 
about  this  time,  in  several  parts  of  the  Roman  empire, 
particularly  in  Judea;  which  induced  the  Christians  at 
Antioch  to  compassionate  the  miseries  of  their  brethren 
at  Jerusalem;  and,  accordingly  raised  considerable  con- 
tributions for  their  relief,  which  they  sent  to  the  capital 
of  Judea  by  the  hands  of  Barnabas  and  Saul,  who  im- 
mediately after  executing  their  commission,  returned 
to  Antioch,  But  while  they  were  performing  the  pub-r 
lie  exercices  of  religion,  it  was  revealed  to  them  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  that  they  should  set  apart  Barnabas 
and  Saul,  to  preach  the  gospel  in  other  places,  which 
was  accordingly  done,  and  they  were  immediately  de- 
puted for  that  service  by  prayer,  fasting,  and  the  impo- 
sition of  hands. 

They  first  of  all  visited  Selucia,  where  they  did  not 
continue  long,  but  sailed  for  Cyprus ;  and  at  Salamis, 
a  great  city  in  that  island,  they  preached  in  the  syna- 
gogue of  the  Jews.  From  hence  they  removed  to  Pa- 
phos,  the  residence  of  Sergius  Paulus,  the  proconsul 
of  the  island,  a  man  of  great  wisdom  and  prudence, 
but  miserably  seduced  by  the  wicked  artifices  of  Bar- 
Jesus,  a  Jewish  impostor,  who  syled  himself  Elymas, 
or  the  magician,  vehemently  opposed  the  apostles,  an4 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  139 

kept  the  proconsul  from  embracing  the  faith,  as  preached 
by  them. 

However,  the  proconsul  called  for  the  apostles,  who, 
after  severely  checking  Ely  mas  for  his  malicious  op- 
position to  the  truth,  told  him  the  divine  vengeance  was 
now  ready  to  seize  upon  him ;  and  immediately  he  was 
deprived  of  his  sight.  The  vengeance  of  the  Ahnighty, 
in  depriving  him  of  the'  use  of  his  bodily  eyes,  bore  a 
remarkable  analogy  to  the  blindness  of  those  of  his 
mind,  which  were  so  wilfully  and  maliciously  shut 
against  the  light  of  the  gospel,  and  also  endeavoured  to 
keep  others  in  darkness  and  ignorance.  This  miracle 
convinced  the  proconsul  of  the  truth  of  the  doctrines^ 
taught  by  the  apostles  and  made  him  a  convert  to  Chris- 
tiiuiitv. 

ml 

After  this  remarkable  success  in  Cyprus,  St.  Paul 
repaired  to  Phrygia  and  Pamphilia,  and  taking  Titus 
Avith  him  in  the  room  of  Mark,  who  was  gone  to  Jeru- 
salem, travelled  to  Antioch,  the  metropolis  of  Pisidia. 
Soon  after  their  arrival,  they  entered  the  synagogue  of 
the  Jews  on  the  Sabbath-day,  and  after  the  reading  of 
the  law,  Paul  being  invited  by  the  rulers  of  the  Syna- 
gogue, delivered  himself  in  the  following  manner : 
*'  Hearken,  all  ye  descendants  of  Jacob,  and  ye  that  fear 
the  Almighty,  to  the  words  of  my  mouth.  The  God 
of  Israel  made  choice  of  our  fathers,  and  loved  them, 
when  they  had  no  city  of  their  own  to  dwell  in,  but 
were  strangers  and  slaves  in  Egypt,  bringing  them 
from  thence  with  a  mighty  hand  and  a  stretclied  out 
arm;  fed  them  in  the  wilderness  forty  years,  and  would 
not  suffer  his  anger  to  rise  against  them,  though  they 
often  provoked  him  in  the  desert.  On  their  arrival  in 
the  land  he  promised  their  fathers,  he  destroyed  the  na- 
tions that  inhabited  it,  and  placed  them  in  that  fruitful 
country,  dividing  it  to  them  by  lot,  for  their  inheri- 
tance. 

**  As  soon  as  they  were  settled  in  the  land,  he  gave 


ICO  LU'E  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

them  judges  during  four  hundred  and  fifty  years,  till 
Samuel  the  prophet:  but  on  their  desiring  a  king,  he 
placed  over  them  Saul,  the  Son  of  Kish,  a  Benjamite, 
who  reigned  about  forty  years;  and  after  his  death  he 
placed  David  on  the  throne  of  Israel,  giving  him  this 
testimony,  *  I  have  found  David  the  son  of  Jesse,  a  man 
after  mine  own  heart,  which  shall  fulfil  all  my  will.  And 
according  to  his  promise,  the  Almighty  hath  raised  up 
to  the  sons  of  David  a  Saviour,  Jesus  which  is  Christ 
the  Lord.  The  baptism  of  repentance  having  been 
preached  before  his  coming  by  John :  and  as  the  fore- 
runner executed  hisoffice,  heasked  his  followers.  Whom 
think  ye  that  I  am?  You  must  not  mistake  me  for  the 
Messiah;  he  will  soon  follow  me,  but  I  am  not  worthy 
to  perform  the  meanest  office  for  him. 

"  Therefore,  ye  descendants  of  Abraham,  and  ail 
others  who  fear  the  Almighty,  to  you  is  the  word  of  this 
salvation  sent.  For  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  and 
rulers  of  Israel,  being  ignorant  of  him,  and  the  voices 
of  the  prophets  though  read  every  Sabbath  in  their  sy- 
nagogues, fulfilled  their  predictions  by  condemning  the 
immaculate  Son  of  the  Most  High.  They  found  indeed 
no  fault  in  him,  though  they  earnestly  desired  Pilate  that 
he  might  be  crucified. 

"  Every  thing  that  had  been  written  by  the  prophets 
concerning  him,  being  now  fulfilled,  they  took  him  from 
the  tree,  and  deposited  his  body  in  the  chambers  of  the 
grave :  but  death  had  no  power  to  detain  him ;  his  Al- 
mighty Father  raised  him  from  the  habitations  of  the 
dead.  After  which,  he  was  seen  during  many  days  by 
his  disciples  who  attended  him  from  Galilee,  and  who 
are  the  witnesses,  chosen  by  Omnipotence,  of  these 
great  and  mirciculous  works.  And  we  now  declare  unto 
you  glad-tidingSj  namely,  That  the  promise  made  by  the 
Almighty  to  our  forefathers,  he  hath  performed  to  us, 
their  children,  by  raising  Jesus  from  the  dead.  The 
])rophet  David  also  said,  Thou  art  my  Son,  this  day  have 
I  begotten  thee.    He  also  foretokl,  that  he  should  return 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  161 

from  the  chambers  of  the  dust,  and  no  more  be  sub- 
ject to  corruption  :  /  xoill  give  him,  said  he,  flic  sure 
mercies  of  David.  And  again,  Thou  shall  not  suffer 
thine  II oh)  One  to  see  corruption  Now  this  prophecy 
must  relate  to  the  Messiah,  for  David  himself,  after  he 
liad  swayed  the  sceptre  of  Israel  a  certain  time,  fell 
asleep,  was  deposited  in  the  chambers  of  the  grave, 
and  his  flesh  saw  corruption:  but  the  great  Son  of  Da- 
vid, whom  the  Almighty  raised  from  the  dead,  never 
saw  corruption,  as  it  w^as  written  of  him, 

"  Therefore,  be  it  known  unto  you,  men  and  bre- 
thren, that  through  this  Saviour  is  preached  unto  you 
the  forgiveness  of  sins:  it  is  by  his  merits  we  are  jus- 
tified from  all  things,  which  was  impossible  by  the  law 
of  Moses.  Be  careful,  therefore,  lest  what  was  fore- 
told by  the  prophets  come  upon  you,  Behold^  ye  des- 
pisersy  and  xvonder,  and  perish :  for  I  ivork  a  work  in 
your  days,  a  ztork  which  you  si  toll  in  no  ivise  believe^ 
though  a  man  declare  it  unto  you.'' 

The  apostle's  speech  had  the  desired  effect ;  for  se- 
veral of  the  Jews,  who  were  convinced  of  the  truth, 
desired  to  hear  him  on  the  next  Sabbath,  and  the  apos- 
tles persuaded  them  to  continue  firm  in  the  belief  of 
these  things.  The  ensuing  Sabbath,  almost  the  whole 
city  flocked  to  hear  the  apostles ;  at  which  the  Jews 
were  filled  with  envy,  and  contradicted  Paul,  uttering 
many  blasphemous  expressions  against  the  name  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  :   but  their  opposition  could  not 
daunt  the  apostles,  who  boldly  declared,  that  our  bless- 
ed Saviour  had  charged  them  to  preach  the  gospel  first 
to  the  Jews;  but  as  they  so  obstinately  rejected  it, 
they  were  now  to  address  themselves  to  the  Gentiles  ; 
who,  hearing:  this,  rejoiced  exceedinjrlv,  maenifvino- 
the   word  of  the  Almighty,  and  many  of  them  em- 
braced the  doctrines  of  the  gospel.     This  increased 
the  malice  and  fury  of  the  Jews,  who,  by  false  and 
artful  insinuations,  prevailed  on  some  of  the  more  de- 
vout and  honourable  women  to  bring  over  their  hus- 

VOL.  ii,  X 


16^  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

bands  to  the  party  ;  by  which  means,  Paul  and  Bar- 
nabas were  driven  out  of  the  city.  At  which  the 
apostles  departed,  shaking  off  the  dust  from  their  feet, 
as  a  testimony  of  their  ingratitude,  infidelity,  and  re- 
jection of  the  gospel. 

They  went  from  Antioch  to  Iconium,  the  metropo- 
lis of  Lycaonia,  a  province  of  the  Lesser  Asia,  where 
they  again  entered  into  a  synagogue  of  the  Jews,  not- 
withstanding the  ill-treatment  they  had  met  with  from 
the  Jews  in  other  places  ;  for  so  great  was  their  zeal 
for  the  gospel,  that  they  were  not  to  be  deterred  from 
preaching  it  by  ill  usage,  however  great.  Therefore, 
according  to  their  usual  method,  they  began  their 
pr^ching  in  the  assembly  of  Israelites ;  and  the  Al- 
mighty so  far  assisted  their  endeavours,  that  many, 
both  Jews  and  proselytes,  believed.  Their  success  en- 
couraged them  to  continue  a  considerable  time  in  this 
city,  to  instruct  the  converts,  and  confirm  their  faith 
by  miracles.  But,  though  they  had  gained  a  consider- 
able part  of  the  city  to  the  faith,  yet  many  continued 
in  their  infidelity  :  the  old  leven  of  Jewish  malice  be- 
gan again  to  ferment,  and  the  unbelieving  Jews  have 
stirred  up  the  Gentiles  against  the  apostles,  at  last  pre- 
vailed on  the  multitude  to  stone  them  :  but  the  apos- 
tles having  timely  notice  of  their  design,  fled  from  the 
city,  and  travelled  to  Lystra,  where  they  preached  the 
gospel  to  the  inhabitants,  and  those  who  dwelt  in  the 
country  adjacent. 

At  Lystra,  there  was  a  man  amongst  the  converts, 
who  had  been  lame  from  his  mother's  womb,  and^ 
never  had  walked  :  and  Paul,  perceiving  that  he  had 
faith  to  be  saved,  thought  proper  to  add  the  cure  of 
his  body  to  that  of  his  soul,  knowing  that  it  would  not 
only  be  beneficial  to  him,  but  to  all  the  rest  of  the  be- 
lievers, by  confirming  their  faith  :  and,  that  the  mira- 
cle might  be  wrought  in  the  most  conspicuous  man- 
ner, he,  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation,  said  in  an 
audible  voice  to  the  man^  Stand  upright  on  thij  feet : 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  16;; 

and  the  words  were  no  sooner  pronounced,  than  his 
strength  was  at  once  restored,  and  he  leaped  up  and 
walked,  praising  God. 

They  who  were  eye-witnesses  to  this  miracle  well 
knew,  that  it  was  not  wrought  by  any  human  power; 
but  having  been  initiated  into  the  superstitious  customs 
ot  the  Heathens,  cried  out,  in  the  speech  of  Lycoania, 
The  Gods  are  come  dozvii  to  us  in  the  likeness  of  men. 
And  accordingly  they  called  Barnabas  Jupiter,  be- 
cause of  his  venerable  gravity,  and  Paul  Mercury,  from 
his  eloquence.  Nor  was  it  long  before  the  whole  city 
resounded  with  acclamations  ;  so  that  almost  all  the 
inhabitants  gathered  themselves  together,  and  pre- 
ceded by  the  priest  of  Jupiter,  and  oxen  dressed  in 
garlands,  they  came  to  the  house  were  the  apostles 
were,  intending  to  do  sacrifice  to  them  :  But  as  soon, 
as  Barnabas  and  Paul  understood  their  intentions,  thev 
were  greatly  affected  at  this  superstitious  attempt;  and 
rending  their  clothes  to  express  their  grief  and  abhor- 
rence of  the  action  ran  to  them,  crying  out,  ''  Ye  men 
of  Lystra,  ye  are  mistaken  in  the  object  of  your  wor- 
ship ;  for  though  we  have  done  many  miracles  in  the 
name,  and  by  the  power  of  Christ,  yet  we  are  no 
more  than  men,  and  subject  to  the  same  passions  as 
yourselves,  and  preach  unto  you  the  glad-tidings  of 
salvation,  that  ye  may  forsake  the  vanities  of  this  world, 
and  turn  to  the  living  God,  who  created  the  heaven 
and  the  earth,  the  sea,  and  all  the  creatures  they  con- 
tain. This  Omnipotent  Being  suffered  all  nations  for- 
merly to  walk  in  their  own  ways,  though  he  never  left 
himself  without  a  witness,  doing  the  greatest  good  to 
the  children  of  men  ;  it  is  he  that  sendeth  rain  from 
heaven,  and  crowneth  the  year  with  fruitful  seasons, 
filling  our  hearts  with  joy  and  gladness." 

The  apostle's  arguments  had  the  desired  effect  :  and 
the  people  were  at  last,  though  with  difficulty,  per- 
suaded to  lay  aside  their  intended  idolatrous  sacrifice  ; 
snd  surely  no  argument  could  be  more  proper  to  affect 


164  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

the  minds  of  the  audience.  Is  it  possible  to  survey  the 
several  pnrts  ot  the  creation,  and  not  discover  in  every- 
place, evident  traces  of  an  infinite  wisdom,  power, 
and  goodness  ?  Who  can  contemplate  the  heavens  and 
not  discern  tlie  wisdom  of  Omnipotence,  adorniny:  in 
the  most  beautitul  manner  those  lofty  regions  ?  Behold 
the  sun,  how  justly  is  that  source  of  light  and  heat, 
placed  in  the  centre  of  the  planetary  choir,  that  each  . 
may  enjoy  its  destined  share  of  his  prolific  beams;  so 
that  the  earth  is  not  burnt  by  a  too  near  approach,  nor 
chilled  by  the  northern  blasts  from  too  great  a  recess; 
but  impregnated  with  fruits  and  flowers,  by  the  hap- 
py influence  of  a  vital  heat,  and  crowned  with  luxuri- 
ent  plenty  by  the  benign  influences  of  the  seasons. 
Who  but  an  infinite  Being  could  launch  these  massive 
globes  through  the  immense  regions  of  space  and  con- 
fine their  motions  to  their  respective  orbits?  Who 
poizes  the  balancings  of  the  clouds^  that  divides  a  water 
course  for  the  overflowing;  of  waters^  and  a  way  for  the 
lightning  of  thunder  ?  Who  can  hind  the  sweet  influ- 
ences of  Pleiades,  or  loose  the  bands  of  Orion  f  Or  who 
can  bring  forth  Mazaroth  in  his  season,  or  guide  Arc- 
turns  with  his  so7is  P  Do  these  happen  by  chance,  or 
by  the  secret  appointment  of  Infinite  Wisdom  ?  Who 
can  contemplate  the  wonderful  properties  of  the  air, 
the  great  treasury  of  vital  breath,  and  not  reflect  on  the 
Divine  Wisdom  that  formed  it  ?  If  we  survey  the  earth, 
w^e  there  discover  the  footsteps  of  an  Almighty  Being, 
who  stretches/:  the  North  over  the  emptij  place,  and 
hangeth  the  earth  upon  nothing  ;  filling  it  vv'ith  a  great 
variety  of  admirable  and  useful  creatures,  and  main- 
taining them  all  by  the  bounty  of  his  hand.  ^It  is  he 
that  clothes  the  grass  with  delightful  verdure,  that 
crowns  the  year  with  his  loving  kindness,  and  causes 
the  valleys  to  stand  thick  with  corn.  It  is  he  that 
7naketh  the  grass  to  grow  upon  the  mountains,  and  herb 
for  the  service  of  7nan  :  he  adorns  the  lilies  of  the  field, 
that  neither  toil  nor  spin,  with  a  glory  that  excels  the 
pomp  and  grandeur  of  Solomon's  court :  He  shuts  up 
iiic  sea  witli  doors,  and  said.  Hitherto  shatt  thou  come^ 


m«E  OF  ST.  PAUL.  165 

hut  no  further,  and  here  shall  thy  proud  ivaves  be  stay- 
ed,  h  is  this  Almighty  Being  that  arrests  the  storm, 
and  smooths  the  tempestuous  billows  of  the  deep  ;  that 
delivereth  the  mariner  from  all  his  troubles,  and  bring- 
eth  his  ship  into  the  desired  haven  of  safety.  How 
reasonable,  therefore,  is  it  that  we  should  worship  and 
-adore  this  Omnipotent,  this  kind  Creator,  and  not 
transfer  the  honours  due  to  him  alone,  to  frail  mortals, 
much  less  to  dumb  idols,  the  \vorks  of  mens'  hands, 
which  cannot  profit. 

Thus  having  persuaded  the  people  to  desist  troni 
the  idolatrous  worship  they  would  have  paid  them,  the 
apostles  continued  their  labours  in  instructing  the  peo- 
ple, and  planting  in  this  city  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of 
God  :  but  the  malice  of  the  Jews  still  pursued  them  ; 
for  some  of  these  bigotted  Israelites  coming  from  An- 
tioch  and  Iconium,  exasperated  and  stirred  up  the 
multitude  ;  so  that  those  very  persons  who  could  hard*- 
]y  be  restrained  from  offering  sacrifice  to  them,  now 
used  them  like  slaves,  stoning  them  in  so  cruel  a  man- 
ner, that  Paul  was  thought  to  be  dead,  and  as  such 
they  dragged  him  out  of  the  city  ;  but  while  the  Chris- 
tians of  Lystra  were  attending  on  his  corpse,  probably 
in  order  to  carry  him  to  his  grave,  he  arose  and  return- 
ed with  them  into  the  city  ;  and  the  next  day  depart- 
ed with  Barnabas  to  Derbe  where  they  preached  the 
gospel,  and  converted  many  ;  no  danger  being  able  to 
terrify  them  from  the  work  of  the  n)inistry,  and  pub- 
lishing the  glad-tidings  of  salvation  in  every  place  they 
came  to. 

How^ever,  they  did  not  long  continue  at  Derbej  but 
returned  to  Lystra,  Iconium,  and  Antioch  of  Pisidia, 
confirming  the  Christians  of  those  places  in  the  faith, 
earnestly  persuading  them  to  persevere,  and  not  be 
discouraged  with  those  troublesand  persecutions  which 
they  muse  expect  would  attend  the  profession  of  the 
gospel.  And  that  the  affairs  of  the  church  might  be 
conducted  with  more  regularity,  they  ordained  elders 


166  LIKE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

and  pastors,  to  teach,  to  instruct,  and  to  watch  over 
them  ;  and  then  left  them  to  the  protection  of  the  Al- 
mighty to  whose  care  they  recommended  them  by 
fasting  and  prayer. 

The  Apostles  after  leaving  Antioch,  passed  through 
Pisidia,  and  came  toPamphylia  ;  and  after  preaching 
the  gospel  at  Perga,  they  went  down  to  Attalia. 
Having  thus  finished  the  circuit  of  their  ministry,  they 
returned  back  to  Antioch  in  Syria,  from  whence  they 
at  first  departed.  Here  they  summoned  the  church, 
and  gave  them  an  account  of  their  ministry,  the  suc- 
cess it  had  met  with  in  these  different  parts,  and  how 
great  a  door  had  thus  been  opened  for  the  conversion 
of  the  Heathens. 

During  St.  PauFs  stay  at  Antioch,  that  famous  con- 
troversy, relating  to  the  observation  of  the  Jewish  ce- 
remonies in  the  Christian  dispensation,  was  set  on  foot 
by  certain  Jewish  converts,  to  the  great  disturbance 
of  the  whole  church.  And  it  was  determined  to  send 
Paul  and  Barnabas  to  consult  with  the  Apostles  and 
church  at  Jerusalem,  that  this  affair  might  be  settled 
on  the  most  solid  foundation.  On  their  arrival  at  Jeru- 
salem, thev  first  addressed  themselves  to  Peter,  James, 
and  John,  the  pillars  ot  that  church,  by  whom  they 
were  kindly  entertained,  and  kindly  admitted  to  the 
right-hand  of  fellowship.  And  perceiving  by  the  ac- 
count given  them  by  St.  Paul,  that  the  gospel  of  the 
uncircumcision  was  committed  to  him,  as  that  of  the 
circumcision  was  to  Peter,  they  agreed  that  Peter 
should  preach  to  the  Jews,  and  Paul  to  the  Gentiles. 
This  being  determined,  a  council  was  summoned, 
wherein  Peter  declared  his  opinion,  and  Paul  and 
Barnabas  acquainted  them  with  the  great  things  God 
by  their  ministry,  had  done  amongst  the  Gentiles.  A 
plain  evidence,  that  they  were  accepted  by  the  Al- 
mighty, though  uncircumcised,  as  well  as  the  Jews 
with  all  their  legal  rights  and  privileges.  According- 
]y^  it  was  unanimously  determined,  that  the  Gentiles- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  167 

were  not  under  the  obligation  of  the  law  of  Moses, 
and  therefore,  for  their  fuller  satisfaction  in  this  mat- 
ter, it  was  agreed,  that  some  persons  of  their  own 
church  should  be  joined  with  Paul  and  Barnabas,  to 
carry  the  decrees  of  the  council  to  Antioch. 

St.  Paul  and  his  companions,  having  received  the 
decretal  epistle,  returned  back  to  Antioch  :  and  soon 
after  Peter  himself  came  dov^n.  On  reading  this  ej^is- 
tie  in  the  church  the  converts  conversed  freely  and  in- 
offensively with  the  Gentiles,  till  some  of  the  Jews 
coming  thither  from  Jerusalem,  Peter  withdrew  his 
conversation,  as  if  it  had  been  a  thing  unwarrantable 
and  unlawful.  By  such  a  strange  method  of  proceed- 
ing, the  minds  of  many  were  dissatislied,  and  their  con- 
sciences very  uneasy.  St.  Paul,  with  the  greatest  con- 
cern, observed  it,  and  publicly  rebuked  Peter  with  that 
sharpness  and  severity  his  unwarrantable  practice 
called  for  on  such  an  important  occasion, 

Paul  and  Barnabas,  soon  after  this  dispute,  resolved 
to  visit  thechurches  they  had  planted  amongst  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  Barnabas  was  desirous  of  taking  with  them 
his  cousin  Mark  :  but  this  Paul  strenuously  opposed,  as 
he  had  left  them  in  their  former  journey.  This  trifling 
dispute  arose  to  such  a  height,  that  these  two  great 
apostles  and  fellow-labourers  in  the  gospel  parted  asun- 
der ;  Barnabas,  taking  Mark  with  him  repaired  to  Cy- 
prus his  native  country  ;  and  Paul,  having  made  choice 
of  Silas,  and  recommended  the  success  of  his  under- 
taking to  the  care  of  Divine  Providence,  set  forward 
on  his  intended  journey. 

St.  Paul  and  Silas  first  visited  the  churches  of  Syria 
and  Cicilia,  confirming  them  in  the  faith,  by  their  in- 
structions and  exhortations.  Hence  thev  sailed  to 
Crete,  where  Paul  preached  the  gospel,  and  constitut- 
ed Titus  to  be  the  first  bishop  and  pastor  of  that  island, 
leaving;  him  to  settle  those  affairs  of  the  church  Vv^hich 
time  would  not  permit  the  anostle  to  settle  himselt. 


163  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.' 

From  hence  Paul  and  Silas  returned  back  Into  Cicllia, 
and  came  to  Lystra,  where  they  found  Timothy,  whose 
father  was  a  Greek,  but  his  mother  was  a  Jewish  con- 
vert, and  by  her  he  had  been  brought  up  under  all  the 
advantages  of  a  pious  and  religious  education,  espe- 
cially with  regard  to  the  Holy  Scriptures;  which  he 
had  studied  with  the  greatest  assiduity  and  success. 
This  person  St.  Paul  designed  for  the  companion  of 
his  travels,  and  a  special  instrument  in  the  ministry  of 
the  gospel :  but  knowing  that  his  being  uncircumcised 
would  prove  a  stumbling  block  to  the  Jews,  caused 
him  to  be  circumcised;  being  willing  in  lawful  and 
indifferent  matters,  in  order  to  save  the  souls  of  men, 
to  conform  himselt  to  their  tempers,  apprehensions, 
and  prejudices. 

St.  Paul  and  his  companions  now  departed  from 
Lystra,  passing  through  Phrygia  and  the  country  of 
Galatia,  where  the  apostle  was  entertained  with  the 
greatest  kindness  and  veneration,  the  people  looking 
upon  him  as  an  angel  sent  immediately  from  heaven; 
and  being  by  revelation  forbidden  to  go  into  Asia,  he 
was  commanded  by  a  second  vision  to  repair  to  Ma- 
cedonia, to  preach  the  gospel. 

Accordingly,  our  apostle  prepared  to  pass  from  Asia 
into  Europe.  HereSr.  Luke  joined  them,  and  became 
ever  after  the  inseparable  companion  of  St.  Paul,  who 
being  desirous  of  finding  the  speediest  passage  into 
Macedonia, took  ship  withhis  companions  Silas,  Luke, 
and  Timothy,  and  came  to  Samothracia,  an  island  iii 
the  iEgean  sea,  not  far  from  Thrace ;  and  the  next 
dav  to  Neapolls,  a  port  of  Macedonia.  Leaving  Nea- 
polis  they  repaired  to  Philippi,  the  metropolis  of  that 
part  of  Macedonia,  a  Roman  colony  where,  for  some 
days,  they  resided 

Paul,  according  to  his  constant  practice,  preached 
i«^  a  Proseucha  or  oratory  of  the  Jews,  which  stood  by 
the  river  side,  at  some  distance  from  this  city,  and  was 


J.IFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  1^9 

much  frequented  by  the  devout  women  of  tlieir  religi- 
on, who  met  there  to  pray  and  hear  the  law.  To  these 
St.  Paul  preached  the  glad-tidings  of  the  gospel  ;  and 
by  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  converted  many, 
especially  a  certain  woman  nanied  Lydia,  a  Jewish 
proselyte,  a  seller  of  purple  in  that  city,  but  a  native  of 
Thyatira.  This  woman  being  baptized  with  her  whole 
family,  was  so  importunate  with  St.  Paul  and  his  com- 
panions to  abide  at  her  house,  that  they  were  con- 
strained to  accept  of  her  invitation. 

While  the  apostles  resided  at  Philippi,  they  continu- 
ed their  daily  course  of  worshipping  at  the  same  ora- 
tory. And  after  several  days,  as  they  were  repairin^^ 
to  the  same  place  of  devotion,  there  met  them  a  damsel 
who  had  a  prophetic  spirit  of  divination,  by  whom  her 
masters  acquired  very  great  advantage.  1  his  woman 
followed  Paul  and  his  companions,  crying  out,  Tliesi' 
men  are  the  servants  of  the  Most  High  God,  ivhick 
shew  unto  lis  the  way  to  salvation.  Paul,  at  first,  took 
no  notice  of  her,  not  being  willing  to  multiply  mira- 
cles without  necessity:  but  when  he  saw  her  following 
them  several  days  together,  he  began  to  be  troubled  j 
and  in  imitation  of  his  great  Master,  who  would  not 
suffer  the  devil  to  acknowledge  him,  lest  his  false 
and  lying  tongue  should  prejudice  the  truth  in  the 
minds  of  men,  commanded  the  spirit,  in  the  name  of 
Jesus,  to  come  out  of  her.  The  devil  with  reluct- 
ance obeyed,  and  left  the  damsel  immediately. 

As  this  miraculous  cure  proved  a  great  loss  to  her 
masters,  who  acquired  large  gains  from  her  soothsay- 
ing, they  were  filled  with  malice  and  envy  against  the 
apostles;  and,  by  their  instigation,  the  multitude 
arose,  and,  seizing  upon  Paul  and  his  companions, 
hurried  them  before  the  ma<jistrates  and  j^overnors  of 
the  colony;  accusing  them  ot  introducing  many  inno- 
vations which  were  prejudicial  to  the  state,  and  un- 
lawful for  them  to  comply  with,  as  being  Romans. 
The  magistrates  being  concerned  for  the  tranquility  of 

VOL,  iU  y 


r;c5  hli^E  OF  ST.  PAUL, 

the  state,  and  jealous  of  all  disturbances,  were  verf 
forward  to  punish  the  offenders,  against  whom  the 
multitude  testified;  and  therefore  commanded  the  offi- 
cers to  strip  them  and  scourge  them  severely,  as  per- 
sons who  stirred  up  seditions. 

The  sentence  was  accordingly  executed;  after  which 
the  apostles  were  committed  to  close  custody,  the  goal- 
er  receiving  more  than  ordinary  charge  to  keep  them 
safely;  and  he  accordingly  thrust  then^  into  the  inner 
prison,  and  made  their  feet  fast  in  the  stocks  :  but  the 
most  obscure  dungeon,  or  the  pitchy  mantle  of  the 
night  cannot  intercept  the  beams  of  divine  joy  and  com- 
fort from  the  souls  of  such  pious  men.  Their  minds  were 
all  serenity,  and  at  midnight  they  prayed  and  sung 
praises  so  loud,  that  they  were  heard  in  every  part  of 
the  prison  :  nor  were  their  prayers  offered  to  the  throne 
of  grace  in  vain;  an  earthquake  shook  the  foundations 
of  the  prison,  opened  the  doors,  loosed  the  chains,  and 
set  the  prisoners  at  liberty.  This  convulsion  of  nature 
roused  the  goaler  from  his  sleep  ;  and  concluding  from 
what  he  saw,  that  all  his  prisoners  were  escaped,  was 
going  to  put  a  period  to  his  life  ;  but  Paul,  observing 
him,  hastily  cried  out,  Do  thyself  no  harm^for  we  are 
all  here.  The  keeper  was  now  as  greatly  surprised  at 
the  goodness  of  the  apostles,  as  he  was  before  terrified 
at  the  thoughts  of  their  escape  ;  and  calling  for  a  light 
he  came  immediately  into  the  presence  of  the  apos- 
tles, fell  down  at  their  feet,  took  them  from  the  dun- 
geon, brought  them  into  his  own  house,  washed  their 
stripes,  and  begged  of  them  to  instruct  him  in  the 
knowledge  of  that  God  who  was  mighty  to  save  and 
deliver. 

The  goaler's  request  was  readily  granted  by  St. 
Paul,  who  replied,  That,  if  he  believed  in  Jesus 
Christ,  he  might  be  saved,  with  his  whole  house.  Ac- 
cordingly, the  goaler,  with  all  his  family,  were,  after 
a  competent  instruction,  baptised,  and  received  as 
members  of  the-  church  of  Christ.     How  happy  a 


LIFK  OF  ST.  PAUL.  171 

change  does  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel  make  in  tlie 
minds  of  men  I  How  docs  it  smooth  the  roughest  tem- 
pers, and  instil  the  sweetest  principles  of  civility  and 
good-nature  into  the  minds  of  men  !  He  who  but  a 
few  moments  before,  tyranized  over  the  apostles,  now 
treated  them  with  the  greatest  respect,  and  the  highest 
marks  of  kindness  he  was  capable  of  shewing. 

When  it  was  day,  the  magistrates,  either  hearing 
what  had  happened,  or  reflecting  on  what  they  had 
done,  as  too  harsh  and  unjustifiable,  sent  their  Serjeant 
to  the  goaler,  with  orders  to  discharge  the  apostles. 
The  gaoler  joyfully  delivered  the  message,  and  bid 
them  depart  in  peace:  but  Paul,  that  he  might  make 
the  magistrates  sensible  what  injury  they  had  done 
them,  and  how  unjustly  they  had  punished  them  with- 
out examination  or  trial,  sent  them  word,  that  as  they 
had  thought  proper  to  scourge  and  imprison  Romans, 
contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  empire,  he  expected  they 
should  come  themselves,  and  make  them  some  satis^ 
faction  for  the  illegal  treatment  they  had  received. 

This  message  terrified  the  magistrates,  who  well 
knew  how  dangerous  it  was  to  provoke  the  formida- 
ble power  of  the  Romans,  who  never  suffered  any 
freeman  to  be  beaten  uncondemned;  they  came  there- 
fore to  the  prison,  and  very  submissively  entreated  the 
apostles  to  depart  without  any  further  disturbance. 
This  small  recompence  for  the  cruel  usage  they  had 
received  was  accepted  by  the  meek  followers  of  the 
blessed  Jesus;  they  left  the  prison,  and  retired  to  the 
house  of  Lydia,  where  they  comforted  their  brethren 
with  an  account  of  their  deliverance,  and  departed; 
having  laid  the  foundation  of  a  very  eminent  church, 
as  appears  fronj  St.  Paul's  epistle  to  the  church  at  Phi- 
lippi. 

Paul  and  his  companions  leaving  this  city,'  conti- 
nued their  journey  towards  the  west,  till  thtT  came  to 
ThessaJonica,  the  capital  of  Macedonia,  about  an  hun- 


1^2  LIFE  01'  ST.  PAUL. 

dred  and  twenty  miles  from  Philippi,  On  their  arri- 
val at  Thessalonica,  Paul,  according  to  his  custom^ 
went  into  the  synagogue  of  the  Jews,  and  preached 
unto  his  countrymen  ;  the  ungrateful  treatment  he  had 
met  with  in  other  places,  not  discouraging  him  from 
persevering  in  so  glorious  a  work.  His  doctrine  how- 
ever was  strenuously  opposed  by  the  Jews,  who  would 
not  allow  Jesus  to  be  the  Messiah,  because  of  the  ig- 
nominious death  which  he  had  suffered. 

The  apostles  during  their  stay  at  Thessalonica,  lodg- 
ed in  the  house  of  a  certain  Christian,  named  Jason, 
who  entertained  them  very  courteously  But  the  Jews 
would  not  suffer  the  apostles  to  continue  at  rest;  they 
refused  to  embrace  the  gospel  themselves,  and  there- 
fore envied  its  success,  and  determined  to  oppose  its 
progress;  accordingly,  they  gathered  together  a  great 
•number  of  lewd  and  wicked  wretches,  who  beset  the 
house  of  Jason,  intending  to  take  Paul,  and  deliver 
him  up  to  an  incensed  multitude;  but  in  this  they 
were  disappointed,  Paul  and  Silas  being  removed  from 
thence  by  the  Christians,  and  concealed  in  some  other 
part  of  the  city.  Their  fury  how^ever  was  rather  ex- 
asperated than  lessened  at  losing  their  prey  ;  and,  as 
they  could  not  find  the  apostles  of  the  blessed  Jesus, 
they  determined  to  be  revenged  on  Jason,  who  had 
concealed  them.  Accordingly  they  seized  on  him  and 
some  others  of  the  brethren,  and  carried  them  before 
the  magistrates  of  the  city,  accusing  them,  as  they  had 
before  done  the  apostles  themselves  at  Philippi,  of  dis- 
turbing the  peace  of  the  empire,  and  setting  up  Je- 
sus as  a  king,  in  degradation  of  the  emperor's  dignity 
and  authority.  This  accusation  induced  both  people 
and  magistrates  to  be  their  enemies  ;  and  though  Ja- 
son was  only  accused  of  harbouring  those  innovators, 
yet  the  magistrate  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  dis- 
miss liim  and  his  companions,  till  they  had  given  se- 
curity for  their  appearance  when  called  upon. 

When  the  tumult  w^as  over,, the.  Thessalonians,  who. 


lAVE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  w5 

had  been  converted  by  tbcni,  sent  away  Paul  and  Si- 
las by  nigbt  to  Beroca,  a  city  about  fifty  miles  south 
of  Thessalonica,  but  out  of  the  power  -of  tlieir  ene- 
mies.    Mere  also  Paul's  great  love  for  bis  countrymen 
the  Jews,  and  his  earnest  desire  for  their  salvation,  ex- 
cited him  to  preach  to  them  in  particular:  according- 
ly, he  entered  into  their  synagogue,  and  explained  the 
gospel  unto  them,  proving  out  of  the  Old  Testament, 
the  truth  of  the  doctrines  he  advanced.     These  Jews 
were  of  a  more  candid  and  ingenuous  temper  than 
those  of  Thessalonica;  and  as  they  heard  him  with 
great  reverence  and  attention  expound  and  apply  the 
Scriptures,  so  they  searched   diligently,  whether  his 
proofs  were  proper  and  pertinent,  and  consonant  to 
the  sense  of  the  texts  he  referred  to:  and  having  found 
every  thing   to  be  Agreeable  to  what  Paul   had  ad- 
vanced, many  of  them  believed;  and  several   Gen- 
tiles, followed  their  example,  became  obedient  to  the 
faith,  amongst  whom  were  several  women  of  quality. 
The  news  of  this  remarkable  success  was  carried  to 
Thessalonica,  and  greatly  incensed  the  inveterate  ene- 
mies of  the  gospel  there;  who  accordingly  repaired 
to  Berosa,  and  raised  tumults  against  the  apostles ;  so 
that  Paul,  to  avoid  their  fury,  was  forced  to  leave  the 
town;  but  Silas  and  Timothy,  either  less  known,  or 
less  envied,  continued  still  in  the  place. 


Leaving  Berosa  under  the  conduct  of  certain  guides 
it  was  pretended  that  Paul  designed  to  retire  by  sea 
out  of  Greece,  that  his  restless  enemies  might  cease 
their  persecution  :  but  the  guides  according  to  his 
desire,  brought  him  to  Athens,  and  left  him  there, 
after  receiving  from  him  an  order  for  Silas  and  Tim- 
othy to  repair  to  him  as  soon  as  they  conveniently 
could. 

At  this  time  Athens  was  the  most  famous  r;cademv 
of  all  Greece,  and  abounding  with  philosophers  iilus 
trious   for  their  learning.     Amongst  the  several  sects 
that  now  fiourished  at  Athens,  the  Stoics  and  Epicn 


174  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

reans  were  most  remarkable  for  their  opposition  tQ 
Christianity.  The  epicureans  because  they  found  their 
pleasant  and  jovial  humour,  and  their  loose  and  exor- 
bitant course  of  life,  so  greatly  checked  and  controlled 
by  the  strict  and  severe  precepts  of  the  gospel ;  and 
because  the  doctrines  of  it  so  plainly  and  positively 
asserted  a  Divine  Providence  governing  the  w^orld, 
and  which  at  the  last  day  will  reward  or  punish  every 
man  according  to  his  works.  The  Stoics,  on  the  other 
hand  though  pretending  to  principles  of  great  and  un- 
common severity,  and  such  as  had  the  nearest  affinity 
to  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  yet  found  them  very  dif- 
ferent in  practice.  That  meek  and  humble  temper 
of  mind,  that  modesty  and  self-denial,  which  the  gos- 
pel so  earnestly  recommends,  and  so  strictly  requires, 
were  directly  opposite  to  the  immoderate  pride  and 
ambition  of  that  sect,  who  were  not  ashamed  to  affirm, 
that  their  sages  and  philosophers  were  not  inferior  to 
God  himself  in  wisdom. 

During  Paul's  abode  at  Athens,  expecting  the  arri- 
val of  Silas  and  Timothy,  he  walked  up  and  down,  to 
take  a  more  accurate  survey  of  the  city,  which  he 
found  miserably  overrun  with  superstition  and  idolatr)^ 
The  inhabitants  were  remarkably  religious  and  devout : 
they  had  a  great  number  of  gods,  whom  they  adored; 
false,  indeed,  they  were,  but  such  as  they,  being  des- 
titute of  revelation,  accounted  true:  and  so  very  care- 
ful wxre  they,  that  no  deity  should  want  due  honour 
from  them,  that  they  had  an  altar  inscribed,  TO  THE 
UNKNOWN  GOD.  A  great  variety  of  reasons  are 
given  tor  this  inscription :  some  affirm,  that  it  was 
the  name  which  the  Pagans  generally  gave  to  the  God 
of  the  Jews;  but  others  think  that,  besides  the  un- 
known God,  it  included  all  the  gods  of  Asia,  Europe, 
and  Africa. 

The  spirit  of  the  apostle  was  grieved  at  these  super- 
stitious practices:  he  lamented  to  see  so  m.uch  zeal  and 
devotion  misplaced  s  and  flattered  himself,  if  he  coul4 


-UtE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  }7,b 

c 
btit  direct  it  to  its  proper  object,  it  would  be  of  emi- 
nent service  to  the  church  of  Christ.  Accordingly, 
he  exerted  all  his  strength  for  their  conversion;  dis- 
puting on  the  sabbath-days  in  the  synagogues  of  the 
Jews;  and  at  other  times  took  all  opportunities  of 
preaching  to  the  Athenians  the  coming  of  the  Messiah 
to  save  the  world  from  sin  and  miser}'. 

The  apostle's  doctrine  was  equally  new  and  strange 
to  the  Athenians;  and  though  they  did  not  persecute 
him  as  the  Jews  did,  yet  his  preaching  Jesus  was  con- 
sidered by  the  Epicurean  and  Stoic  philosophers  as  a 
fabulous  legend;  and  by  the  more  sober  part,  as  a  dis- 
covery of  some  new  gods,  which  they  had  not  yet 
placed  in  their  temples:  and  though  they  were  not  un- 
wiling  to  receive  any  new  deities,  yet  as  Areopagus, 
the  supreme  court  of  the  city,  was  to  judge  of  all  gods, 
to  whom  public  worship  might  be  allowed,  they  brought 
him  before  those  judges,  to  give  an  account  of  his  doc- 
trine in  their  hearinsr. 

Being  placed  before  the  judges  of  this  high  assem- 
bly, St.  Paul  readily  gave  them  an  account  of  his  doc- 
trine, in  a  grave  and  elegant  speech;  wherein  he  did 
not  tell  them  they  were  horrible  and  gross  idolaters', 
lest  he  should  offend  them,  and  thereby  prevent  them 
from  listening  to  his  reasons ;  but,  having  commended 
them  for  their  religious  dispositions,  he  took  occasion 
from  the  altar  inscribed  to  the  unknown  God,  to  make 
a  proper  defence  of  his  doctrine.  "  I  endeavour,  said 
he,  only  to  explain  that  altar  to  you,  and  manifest  the 
nature  of  that  God  whom  ye  ignorantly  Avorship ;  whicli 
is  the  God  that  made  the  world,  and  all  things  therein; 
and  who  being  Lord  of  all,  dwells  not  in  temples  madr 
with  hands,  nor  is  to  be  worshipped  in  lifeless  idols. 
As  he  is  the  Creator  of  all  things,  he  cannot  be  confin- 
ed to  the  workmanship  of  man,  whether  temples  oi 
statues  ;  nor  stands  in  need  of  sacrifices,  since  he  is  tht; 
fountain  of  life  to  all  things.  He  made  from  one  com- 
mon origrinal,  the  whole  race  ©f  mankind,  and  h?.th 


ITS  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

wisely  determined  their  dependence  on  him,  that  the/ 
might  be  obliged  to  seek  after  him  and  serve  him.  A 
truth  perceivable  in  the  darkest  state  of  ignorance,  and 
acknowledged  by  one  of  your  poets.  If  this  be  the  na- 
ture of  God,  it  is  surely  the  highest  absurdity  to  re- 
present him  by  any  image  or  similitude.  The  divine 
patience  hath  been  too  much  exercised  already  with 
such  gross  abuses  in  religion  ;  but  now  expects  a  tho- 
rough reformation,  having  sent  his  son  Jesus  Christ  to 
make  him  known  to  the  world,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
inform  them  that  he  hath  appointed  a  day  of  general  judg- 
ment, vv'hen  the  religion  of  mankind  shall  be  tried  by 
the  test  of  the  gospel,  before  his  only  begotten  Son, 
who  is  appointed  sole  Judge  of  quick  and  dead,  and 
whose  commission  to  that  high  office  hath  been  ratified 
by  the  Almighty,  in  raising  him  from  the  dead  by  his 
almighty  power." 

He  no  sooner  mentioned  the  resurrection,  than  some 
of  the  philosophers  mocked  and  derided  him  ;  others, 
more  modest,  but  not  satisfied  with  the  proofs  he  had 
given,  gravely  answered,  We  would  hear  thee  again  of 
this  matter.  After  which  Paul  departed  from  the  court ; 
but  not  without  some  success  :  for  a  few  auditors  be- 
lieved and  attended  his '  instructions  ;  amongst  whom 
wxre  Dionysius  one  of  the  judges,  and  Damaris,  thought 
by  some  to  have  been  his  wife.  And  it  is  generally  be- 
lieved that  Dionvsius  was  afterwards  constituted  the: 
first  bishop  of  Athens  by  this  apostle. 

While  St.  Paul  remained  at  Athens,  Timothy,  ac^ 
cording  to  the  order  he  had  received,  came  to  him  out 
of  Macedonia,  and  brought  an  account  that  the  Chris- 
tians at  Thessalonica  were  under  persecution  from  their 
iellow  citizens,  ever  since  his  departure,  at  which  St. 
Paul  was  greatly  concerned,  and  at  first  inclined  to  visit 
them  in  person,  to  confirm  them  in  the  faith  they  had 
cnii;raced ;  but  being  hindered  by  the  enemies  to  the 
gospel,  he  sent  Timothy  to  comfort  them,  and  put  them, 
in  mind  of  ^vhat  they  had  at  first  lieard,  namely,  that^ 


LirE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  j^r 

persecution  would  he  the  constant  attendant  on^theif 
profession. 

St.  Paul  left  Athens  on  Timothy's  departure,  and 
travelled  to  Corinth,  a  very  populous  place,  and  famous 
for  its  trade.  Here  he  found  Aquila,  and  Priscilla  his 
wife,  lately  come  from  Italy,  after  having  been  banished 
from  Rome  by  a  decree  of  Claudius  ;  and  they  being 
of  the  same  trade  he  himself  had  learned  in  his  }'outh, 
he  wrought  ^vith  them,  that  he  might  not  be  burden- 
some to  the  ntw  converts  in  that  citv. 

The  apostle  after  some  stay  in  Corinth,  was  joined 
by  Silas  and  Timothy,  and  disputed  frequently  in  the 
synagogue,  reasoning  and  proving  that  Jesus  was  the 
true  Messiah.  This  exasperated  the  Jews,  to  the  great- 
est  degree,  and  what  they  could  not  concpier  by  iu"gu- 
mentand  force  of  reason,  they  endeavoured  to  carry  b\ 
noise  and  clamour,  blended  with  blasphemies  and  re- 
vilings ;  the  last  refuge  of  an  impotent  and  baffled  cause. 
But  St.  Paul,  to  testify  his  resentment,  shook  his  garment, 
and  told  them,  that  since  they  were  determined  to  pull 
down  the  vengeance  of  heaven  upon  their  own  heads,  he 
was  absolutely  guiltless  and  innocent,  and  would  hence- 
forth address  himself  to  the  Gentiles  ;  accordingly  he 
left  them,  and  repaired  to  the  house  of  Justus,  a  reli- 
gious proselyte,  where-  by  his  preaching  and  miracles, 
he  converted  great  numbers  to  the  faith ;  amongst  which 
were  Crispus  the  chief  ruler  of  the  synagogue.  Gains, 
and  Stephanus,  who  with  their  families  were  baptised, 
and  admitted  members  of  the  Church  of  Chiiist. 

Inasmuch  as  the  constant  returns  of  malice  and  in- 
gratitude are  sufficient  to  tire  the  largest  charit}%  and 
cool  the  most  generous  resolution  ;  our  dear  Redeemer 
therefore,  that  the  aposde  might  not  be  discouraged 
by  the  restless  attempts  and  machinations  of  his  ene- 
mies, appeared  to  him  in  a  vision,  and  told  him,  that 
notwithstanding  the  bad  success  he  had  hitherto  met 
with,  there  was  a  large  harvest  to  be  gathered  in  that 

VOL.  iL  z 


n»  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

place,  that  he  should  not  be  afraid  of  his  enemies,  but 
preach  the  gospel  boldly  and  fliithfuUy,  for  that  he  him- 
self would  protect  and  preserve  him  from  every  danger. 

St.  Paul  seems  about  this  time  to  have  Avritten  his  first 
Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians,  Silas  and  Timothy  being 
latelv  returned  from  thence,  and  delivered  the  message 
for  which  he  had  sent  them  hidier.  The  principal  de- 
sign of  this  epistle  is,  to  confirm  them  in  the  belief  of 
the  Christian  religion,  and  excite  them  to  persevere  in 
it,  notwithstanding  all  the  malice  of  their  enemies,  and 
the  persecutions  they  must  expect  to  suffer ;  and  to 
instruct  them  in  the  duties  of  their  high  vocation. 

During  these  transactions,  the  malicious  Jews  were 
plotting  his  destruction ;  but  being  for  some  time 
disappointed,  their  malice  changed  into  fury,  and 
they  hurried  the  apostle  before  the  tribunal  of  Gallio, 
elder  brother  to  the  famous  Seneca,  and  proconsul  of 
the  province,  accusing  him  of  being  an  innovator  in  re- 
ligion, and  of  endeavouring  to  introduce  a  method  of 
w^orshipping  God  contrary  to  the  law.  Paul  was  ready 
to  have  made  his  defence  ;  but  Gallio  prevented  him 
by  telling  his  accusers,  that  if  he  had  been  guilty  of 
any  injustice  he  would  have  heard  their  complaint  and 
redressed  their  grievance  ;  but  as  it  was  nothing  but  a 
controversy  about  words  and  names,  he  would  have  no- 
thing to  do  with  it.  But  the  Jews  continuing  their  cla- 
mour, he  commanded  his  officers  to  drive  them  from 
the  tribunal ;  which  was  accordingly  done,  and  some 
of  the  tov\Tismen  seized  upon  Sosthenes  one  of  the  ru- 
lers of  the  synagogue,  and  beat  him  before  the  judg- 
ment-seat, the  proconsul  giving  himself  no  concern 
about  i^.  Thus  w^re  the  designs  of  tlie  apostle's  ene-* 
mies  rendered  abortive  ;  and  Paul  continued,  without 
any  further  opposition,  to  preach  the  doctrine  of  the  gos- 
pel during  a  year  and  an  half,  when  he  left  the  church 
at  Corinth,  to  visit  others  he  had  planted  in  di|Perent 
ipaits  of  the  east. 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  179 

While  the  apostle  continued  at  Corinth  he  wrote  his 
second  Epistle  to  theThessalonians,  to  supplyhisabsence. 
In  this  Epistle  he  again  endeavours  to  confirm  their 
minds  in  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  and  prevent  their  being 
shaken  with  those  troubles  which  the  wicked  and  unbe- 
lieving Jews  would  be  continually  raising  against  them. 
And  because  some  passages  in  his  former  Epistle  rela- 
ting to  the  destruction  of  the  Jews  had  been  misunder- 
stood, as  if  the  day  of  the  Lord  was  near  at  hand,  he 
rectifies  these  mistakes,  and  shews  the  sign  that  must 
precede  our  Lord's  coming  to  judgment  in  the  latter 
days. 

Leaving  the  church  at  Corinth,  St.  Paul  took  ship  at 
Cenchrea,  the  port  of  Corinth,  for  Syria,  taking  with  him 
Aquila  and  Priscilla  ;  and  on  his  arrival  at  Ephesus,  he 
preached  a  while  in  the  synagogue  of  the  Jews,  pro- 
mising to  return  to  them,  after  keeping  the  paj.sover  al 
Jerusalem.  Accordingly,  he  again  took  ship,  and  land- 
ed at  Cccsarea,  and  from  thence  travelled  to  Jerusalem, 
where  he  kept  the  feast,  visited  the  church,  and  then 
repaired  to  Antioch ;  here  he  stayed  some  time,  and 
then  traversed  the  countries  of  Gallatia  and  Phrygia, 
till  he  came  to  Epliesus,  confirming  the  nev/-converted 
Christians. 

While  the  apostle  was  taking  this  large  circuit,  Pro- 
vidence took  care  of  the  churches  of  Ephesus  and  Co- 
rinth, by  means  of  one  ApoUos,  an  eloquent  Jcnv  of 
Alexandria,  and  well  acquainted  with  the  law  and  wri. 
tings  of  the  prophets.  This  man  coming  to  Ephesus, 
though  he  was  only  instructed  in  the  rudiments  of 
Christianity,  and  John's  baptism  ;  yet  he  taught  with 
great  courage,  and  a  most  po^verful  zeal.  After  being 
fully  instructed  in  the  faith  by  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  he 
passed  over  into  Achaia,  being  furnished  with  recom- 
mendatory letters,  by  the  churches  of  Ephesus  and 
Corinth.  He  was  of  the  greatest  sefvice  in  Achaia, 
in  watering  what  Paul  had  planted,  confirming  the  di%. 
ciples,  andpQV.erfully  convincing  the  Jews-,  th^t  Jc^Ui 


180  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

was  the  true  Messiali  promised  in  the  scriptures  of  the 
Old  Testament. 

Leaving  Apollos  thus  usefully  employed,  St.  Paul 
returned  to  Ephesus,  where  he  fixed  his  abode  for  three 
yeai^s,  bringing  with  him  Gains  of  Derbe,  Aristarchus 
a  native  of  Thessalonica,  Timotheus  and  Erastus  of  Co- 
rinth, and  Titus,  The  first  thing  he  did  after  his  arrival 
was  to  examine  certain  disciples,  w^hether  they  had  re- 
ceived the  Holy  Ghost  since  they  believed  ?  To  which 
they  answered,  ''  That  the  doctrine  they  had  received, 
promised  nothing  of  that  nature  ;  nor  had  they  ever 
heard  that  such  an  extraordinary  spirit  had  of  late  been 
bestowed  upon  the  church.'  This  answer  surprised 
the  apostle,  who  asked  them  in  what  name  they  had  been 
baptised;  since,  in  the  christian  form,  the  name  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  was  always  expressed  ?  They  replied,  that 
they  had  only  received  John's  baptism  ;  which  though 
it  enjoined  men  to  repent,  yet  mentioned  nothing  ex- 
pressly concerning  the  Holy  Ghost,  or  its  gifts  or  pow- 
ers. Upon  which  the  apostle  informed  them,  that  though 
John's  baptism  commanded  nothing  but  repentance, 
yet  it  tacitly  implied  the  whole  doctrine  of  Christ  and 
the  Holy  Ghost.  When  they  heard  this,  they  were 
baptised  according  to  the  form  prescribed  by  Christ 
himself,  that  is,  in  the  name  of  the  blessed  Trinity  ; 
and  after  the  apostle  had  prayed  and  laid  his  hands  upon 
them,  they  received  the  gifts  of  tongues  and  other  mi- 
raculous powers. 

St.  Paul,  after  this,  entered  into  the  Jewish  syna- 
gogues, where  for  the  first  three  months,  he  contended 
and  disputed  w^ith  the  Jews,  endeavouring  with  great 
earnestness  and  resolution  to  convince  them  of  the  truth 
of  the  Christian  religion.  But  when  instead  of  success 
he  met  w^ith  nothing  but  obstinacy  and  infidelity,  he 
left  tlie  synagogue,  and  taking  those  with  him  whom  he 
had  converted,  mstructed  them  and  others  who  resort-^ 
cd  to  him,  in  the  school  of  one  Tyrannus,  a  place  where 
schoku*s  used  to  be  iastructed.     In  this  maimer  he  con- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  18 1 

tinned  to  preach  the  gospel  two  whole  years ;  by  which 
means  the  Jews  and  proselytes  of  the  whole  proconsular 
of  Asia  had  an  opportunity  of  hearing  the  glad-tidings 
of  salvation.  And  because  miracles  are  the  clearest 
evidence  of  a  divine  commission,  the  Almighty  was 
pleased  to  ratify  the  doctrine  which  St.  Paul  delivered 
by  amazing  and  miraculous  operations,  many  of  which 
were  of  a  peculiar  and  extraordinary  nature ;  for  he 
did  not  only  heal  those  that  came  to  him,  but  if  nap- 
kins or  handkerchiefs  were  only  touched  by  him,  and 
applied  to  the  sick,  their  diseases  immediately  vanished, 
and  the  evil  spirits  departed  out  of  those  whom  they 
had  possessed. 

The  apostle  about  this  time  wrote  his  Epistle  to  the 
Galatians  ;  for  he  had  heard  that  since  his  departure, 
corrupt  opinions  had  crept  in  amongst  them,  with  regard 
to  the  necessity  of  observing  the  legal  rites  ;  and  that 
several  impostors  had  found  admittance  into  that  church 
who  knew  no  better  method  of  undermining  the  doc- 
trine he  had  planted  there,  than  by  vilifying  his  person, 
slighting  him  only  as  an  apostle  at  second  hand,  not  to 
be  compared  with  Peter,  James  and  John,  who  had  fa- 
miliarly conversed  w^ith  Ch  rist  in  the  days  of  his  flesh, 
imd  been  immediately  deputed  by  him. 

In  this  epistle  he  reproves  them  with  some  necessa- 
ry severity  for  their  being  so  soon  led  out  of  the  right 
way,  wherein  he  had  placed  them,  and  so  easily  suftered 
themselves  to  be  imposed  upon  by  the  crafty  artifices  oi' 
seducers.  He  vindicates  the  honour  of  his  apostleship, 
and  the  immediate  receiving  his  commission  from 
Christ,  wherein  he  shews,  that  he  was  not  inferior  to 
the  verj-  best  of  his  apostles.  He  largely  refutes  those 
Judaical  opinions  that  had  tainted  and  infected  them ; 
and  in  the  conclusion,  instructs  them  in  the  rules  and 
duties  of  a  holy  life. 

While  St.  Paul  resided  at  Ephesus,  an  accident  hap- 
pened which  was  attended  with  great  trouble  and  dan- 


1§2  LIFt  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

gcr.  In  this  city  was  the  celebrated  temple  of  Diana, 
a  structure  so  magnificent  for  beauty,  riches  and  magni- 
tude, that  it  was  reckoned  one  of  the.seven  wonders  of 
the  world :  but  what  increased  its  fame  and  reputation 
was  an  image  of  Diana  kept  there,  which  the  idolatrous 
priests  persuaded  the  people  was  made  by  Jupiter  him- 
self, and  dropt  do wn  from  heaven ;  for  which  reason  it 
was  held  in  great  veneration,  not  only  at  Ephesus,  but 
throughout  ail  Asia:  so  that  people  procured  silver 
shrinesj  or  figures  of  this  temple:  of  such  a  size  as  to 
carry  in  their  pockets,  either  for  curiosity,  or  to  stir  up 
their  devotion.  This  proved  the  source  of  a  great  deal 
of  business  to  the  silver-smiths  of  Ephesus,  of  whom 
one  Demetrius  was  the  chief:  this  man  plainly  per- 
ceiving that  Christianity  tended  to  the  subversion  of 
idolatry,  and,  consequently,  to  the  ruin  of  their  gainful 
employment,  called  all  the  artists  together,  and  patheti- 
cally represented  to  them,  *'  IIov/  inevitably  they  must 
be  reduced  to  a  state  of  poverty,  if  they  suffered  Paul 
to  bring  their  temple  and  goddess  into  contempt,  by 
persuading  people,  as  he  did,  that  they  were  no  gods 
whicli  were  made  by  the  hands  of  men." 

On  hearing  this  speech  of  Demetrius,  the  people 
\vere  fired  with  a  zeal  which  they  could  no  longer  con- 
tain; so  that  they  cried  out  with  one  voice.  Great  is 
Diana  of  the  Ephesions.  They  should,  indeed,  have 
considered,  that  if  their  goddess  w^as  able  to  defend 
herself  against  the  doctrines  preached  by  Paul,  neither 
she  nor  the  temple  were  in  danger ;  whereas,  if  Paul 
was  able  to  destroy  their  gods,  it  was  in  vain  for  them  to 
resist  him:  but  interest  and  superstition  meeting  in  the 
minds  of  a  bigotted  multitude,  admitted  of  no  reason ; 
they  were  all  fired  with  zeal  for  their  goddess,  and  de- 
termined, ii'  they  could  find  Paul,  to  expose  him  to  the 
beasts  in  the  theatre.  The  whole  city  was  filled  with 
the  tumult  and  the  crowd  missing  Paul,  laid  hold  on 
Gains  and  Aristarchus,  two  Macedonians  of  Paul's 
company,  and  hurried  them  into  the  theatre,  with  a  de- 
h\^\\  to  throw  them  to  the  wild  beasts :  Paul,  w^ho  w^ts 


MFE  OF  ST.  PALJv.  183 

at  present  in  a  place  of  security,  hearing-  of  the  danger 
to  which  his  brethren  were  exposed,  was  very  desirous 
of  venturing'  after  them,  in  order  to  speak  in  their  be- 
half; but  was  at  last  dissuaded  from  it,  not  only  by  the 
Christians,  but  also  by  the  Gentile  governors  of  the 
theatrical  games,  who  were  his  friends,  and  assured 
him,  that  he  would  only  endanger  himself,  ^vithout 
rescuing  his  friends,  or  affording  them  any  assistance. 

The  multitude  were  now  prodigiously  clamorous 
and  confused,  most  of  them  not  knowing  the  reason 
for  which  they  were  come  together  ;  and,  therefore, 
some  cried  one  thing,  and  some  another.  In  this  dis- 
traction, Alexander,  a  Jewish  convert,  Avas  singled  out 
by  the  multitude,  and  by  the  instigation  of  the  Jews 
was  gcing  to  make  his  defence,  in  w^hich  doubtless,  he 
would  have  laid  the  whole  blame  upon  Paul:  but  the 
multitude  perceiving  him  to  be  a  Jew,  and  therefore 
suspecting  he  was  one  of  Paul's  associates,  raised  ano- 
ther outcry  for  near  two  hours  together,  wherein  noth- 
ing could  be  heard  but  Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephc- 
sia?is.  This  confusion  brought  the  town-clerk,  who 
kept  the  register  of  the  games  into  the  theatre,  to  sup- 
press, if  possible,  so  uncommon  a  tumult ;  and  hav- 
ing with  great  difficulty,  obtained  silence,  calmly  and 
discreetly  told  them,  *'  That  the  \\'orld  was  sufficiently 
acquainted  with  the  devotion  paid  by  the  Ephesians  to 
the  great  goddess  Diana,  and  the  image 'which  fell  down 
from  Jupiter;  and  therefore  it  was  absolutely  needless 
for  them  to  publish  it  at  that  time  ;  that  if  ]3emetrms 
and  his  fraternity  had  anything  to  alledge  against  Paul 
and  his  companions,  the  court  was  open,  and  they  might 
bring  their  accusation  against  them  ;  or,  if  they  were- 
questioned  with  regard  to  the  breach  cf  any  of  their 
laws,  the  cause  ouy:ht  to  be  heard  in  a  re^rular  assemblv. 
That  they  would  do  well  to  consider  this,  and  be  quiet; 
havins:  alreadv  rendered  themselves  obnoxious  to  the 
displeasure  of  the  magistrates,  if  they  did  think  proper 
to  call  them  to  an  account  for  tlie  tumult  Avhich  thev 
had  that  day  occasioned. 


ibi  i.U'E  OF  ST.  PAUL.' 

The  multitude,  on  hearing  this  discourse,  were  con- 
vinced that  they  had  acted  very  improperly,  and  there- 
fore repaired  to  their  respective  habitations ;  and  Gains, 
Aristarchus,  and  Alexander,  were  released  without  any 
hurt :  but  the  escape  of  Paul  was  so  very  remarkable, 
that  he  mentions  it  as  a  miraculous  deliverance.  TVe 
had^  says  he,  the  sentence  of  death  in  ourselves^  that 
ive  should  not  trust  in  ourselves^  but  in  God  which  rais- 
eth  the  dead,  xvho  delivered  us  from  so  great  a  death. 
And  in  another  place  he  tells  us,  he  fought  with  beasts 
at  Ephesus  ;  alluding,  either  to  the  design  of  the  enra- 
ged multitude,  of  throwing  him  to  the  wild  beasts  in 
the  theatre,  though  their  intention  was  not  executed ; 
or  to  the  manners  of  the  people,  who  sufficiently  de- 
served the  character  of  being  savage  and  brutal  in  the 
strictest  sense  of  the  words, 

Paul  about  this  time,  was  informed  of  some  distur^ 
bances  in  the  church  of  Corinth,  hatched  and  fomented 
by  a  company  of  false  teachers,  crept  in  amongst  them, 
who  endeavoured  to  draw  them  into  parties  and  factions, 
by  persuading  one  company  to  be  for  Peter,  another  for 
Paul,  and  a  third  for  Apollos  ;  as  if  the  principal  part 
of  religion  consisted  in  being  of  this  or  that  denomina- 
tion, or  in  a  warm  active  zeal  to  depreciate  and  oppose 
whoever  is  not  for  our  own  narrow  sect.  It  is  a  very 
weak  and  slender  claim,  when  a  man  holds  his  religion 
by  no  better  title  than  his  having  joined  himself  to 
such  or  such  a  sect  or  congregation,  and  is  remarkably 
zealous  to  promote  it ;  to  be  childishly  and  passionately 
clamorous  for  some  person's  particular  mode  of  admin- 
istration, or  some  particular  opinion ;  as  if  religion  ra- 
ther consisted  in  curious  disputes,  or  in  separating 
from  our  brethren,  than  in  righteousness,  peace,  and 
joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  By  these  means,  schisms  and 
factions  broke  into  the  Corinthian  church,  whereby 
many  wild  and  extravagant  opinions,  and  some  of  them 
such  as  tended  to  undermine  the  fundamental  articles 
of  Christianity,  were  planted,  and  had  taken  root  there, 
'i'o  cure  these  distempers,  St.  Paul  wrote  his  first  Epis- 


UIE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  185 

lie  to  the  Corinthians,  wherein  he  smartly  reproves  them 
for  their  schisms  and  parties,  conjures  them  to  fr.llov/ 
after  peace  and  unity,  corrects  those  gross  corruptions 
that  had  been  introduced  amongst  them,  and  particu- 
larly resolves  those  many  cases  and  controversies, 
wherein  they  had  requested  his  advice. 

Apollos  soon  after  determining  to  go  to  Crete  toge- 
ther withZeons,  St.  Paul  sent  by  them  his  Epistle  to 
Titus,  whom  he  had  made  bishop  of  that  island,  and 
had  left  there  for  propagating  the  gospel.  In  this  Epis- 
tle, he  instructs  him  fully  in  the  execution  of  his  office, 
how  to  behave  himself,  and  what  directions  he  should 
give  to  others,  in  the  several  relations  and  ranks  of 
men,  especially  those  who  were  to  be  advanced  to  places 
of  office  and  authority  in  the  church,  amongst  the  Gen- 
tiles. 

The  tumult  at  Athens  had  not  long  subsided,  before 
Paul  called  the  christians  together,  and  took  his  leave 
of  them  with  the  most  tender  expressions  of  love  and 
affection.  He  had  now  spent  almost  three  years  at 
Ephesus,  and  founded  there  a  very  considerable  church, 
of  which  he  had  ordained  Timothy  the  first  bishop.  He 
first  travelled  about  two  hundred  miles  northward  to  Tro  • 
as,  before  he  took  ship,  expecting  to  meet  Titus  there  : 
but  missing  him,  he  pursued  his  voyage  to  Macedonia, 
where  on  his  arrival,  he  preached  the  gospel  in  several 
places,  even,  as  far  as  Illyricum,  now  called  Sclavonia. 
During  this  journey,  he  met  with  many  troubles  and 
dangers,  xvithout  were  fightings^  and  xvithin  were  fears; 
but  God,  who  comforteth  those  that  are  cast  down,  re- 
vived his  spirits,  by  the  arrival  of  Titus,  who  gave  him 
a  pleasing  account  of  the  good  effects  his  Epistle  hud 
produced  at  Corinth.  This  worthy  bishop  came  thithei- 
with  large  contributions  from  that  church,  and  from 
the  example  of  those  liberal  Christians,  St.  Paul  stirred 
up  the  Macedonians  to  imitate  their  charity,  intending 
to  assist  the  distressed  Christians  at  Jerusalem,  who. 
were  then  in  an  indigent  and  persecuted  state. 

VOL.  ii.  A  a 


186  MFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

While  Titus  continued  in  Macedonia,  Paul  wrote  hi^ 
second  Epistle  to  Corinthians,  and  sent  it  to  them  by- 
Titus  and  Luke.  In  this,  he  endeavours  to  rectify  what 
his  former  Epistle  had  not  eftected,  to  vindicate  his 
apostleship  from  that  contempt  and  scorn,  and  himself 
from  those  slanders  and  aspersions  which  the  seducers, 
who  found  themselves  lashed  by  his  former  letter,  had 
cast  upon  him ;  together  with  several  other  particular 
cases  relating  to  the  church.  About  this  time  also,  he 
wrote  his  first  Epistle  to  Timothy,  whom  he  had  left  at 
Ephesus,  wherein  he  gives  him  large  directions  how  to 
carry  himself  in  the  discharge  of  that  great  office  and 
authority  in  the  church,  committed  to  his  care  j  and  in- 
structs him  in  the  particular  qualifications  of  those  he 
should  make  choice  of  as  bishops  and  ministers  in  the 
church.  He  likewise  gives  him  instructions  with  re- 
gard to  his  giving  orders  to  deaconesses,  and  instruct- 
ing servants  ;  warning  him  at  the  same  time  against  that 
pestilent  generation  of  heretics  and  seducers  that  would 
arise  in  the  church  after  his  departure. 

While  Paul  remained  in  Greece,  he  went  to  Corinth, 
where  he  wrote  his  excellent  Epistle  to  the  Romans, 
^vhich  he  sent  by  Phoebe,  a  deaconess  of  the  church  of 
Cenchrea,  near  Corinth.  His  principal  intention  in 
this  Epistle  is,  fully  to  state  and  determine  the  great 
controversy  between  the  Jews  and  Gentiles,  with  regard 
to  the  obligations  of  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the 
Jewish  law,  and  those  principal  and  material  points  of 
doctrine  depending  upon  it;  namely  Christian  liberty, 
the  use  of  indifferent  things,  and  the  like;  and,  which 
is  the  chief  intention  of  all  religion,  instructs  them^ 
and  presses  them  to  perform  the  duties  of  a  holy  and 
pious  life,  such  as  the  Christian  doctrine  naturally  re- 
commends and  enforces. 

Being  now  determined  to  return  into  Syria,  in  order 
to  convey  the  contributions  to  the  brethren  at  Jerusa- 
lem, he  set  out  on  his  journey;  but  being  informed^ 
that  the  Jews  had  formed  a  design  of  killing  and  rob- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  \S7 

bing  him  by  the  way,  he  returned  back  into  Macedonia, 
and  came  to  Philippi,  from  whence  he  went  to  Troas, 
>v  here  he  stayed  seven  days ;  here  he  preached  to  them 
on  the  Lord's  day,  and  continued  his  discourse  till  mid- 
night, being  himself  to  depart  in  the  morning.  The 
length  of  his  discourse  and  the  time  of  the  night  caus- 
ed some  of  his  audience  to  be  overtaken  with  sleep, 
and  amongst  them  a  young  man,  named  Eutychus,  who 
fell  Irom  the  third  story,  and  was  taken  up  dead;  but 
the  apostle,  by  his  prayer  to  the  throne  of  grace,  pre- 
sently  restored  him  to  life,  and  health.  How  indefati- 
gable was  the  industry  of  this  great  apostle !  How  close- 
ly did  he  tread  in  the  steps  of  his  great  Master,  who 
Tivent  about  doing  good!  He  preached  and  wrought  mi- 
racles' in  the  name  and  by  the  power  of  Christ,  wher- 
ever he  came !  As  a  master-builder,  he  either  laid  a 
foundation,  or  raised  the  superstructure !  He  was  instant 
in  season  and  out  of  season,  and  spared  no  pains  to  as- 
sist the  souls  of  men  by  warning  and  persuading  some, 
and  confuting,  and  establishing  others. 

After  having  spent  the  night  in  holy  exercises,  St. 
Paul  took  his  leave  of  the  brethren  in  the  morning,  tra- 
velling on  foot  to  Assos,  a  sea-port  town,  whither  he 
had  before  sent  his  companions  by  sea :  from  thence 
they  sailed  to  Mytilene,  a  city  in  the  isle  of  Lesbos  :  the 
next  dav  thev  sailed  from  thence,  and  came  over  as'ainst 
Chios,  and  the  day  following  landed  at  Trog}llium, 
promontory  of  Ionia,  near  Samos  :  the  next  day  they 
came  to  Miletus,  not  putting  in  at  Ephesus,  because  the 
apostle  was  resolved  to  be  at  Jerusalem  on  the  day  o^- 
Pentecost,  if  possible. 

Arriving  at  Miletus,  he  sent  Ephesus,  to  summon 
the  elders  of  the  church,  and  on  their  comine:,  reniip.ded 
ihem  of  the  manner  in  which  he  had  conversed  amongst 
ihem  :  how  faithfully  and  affectionately  he  had  dischiu"- 
ged  the  offices  of  his  ministry,  and  how  incessantly  he 
had  laboured  for  the  good  of  the  souls  of  men  ;  adding 
that  ho  had  ne\'cr  failed  to  acquaint  them,  both  in  pub- 


158  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

lie  and  private,  with  whatever  might  he  useful  and  pro. 
fitable  to  them  ;  urging  both  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  to 
repentance,  and  reformation  of  life,  and  a  hearty  enter- 
tainment of  the  faith  of  C  h  r  i  s  t  :  that  now  he  was  going 
up  to  Jerusalem,  where  he  was  ignorant  of  what  might 
befal  him,  except  what  had  been  foretold  him  by  those 
w^ho  were  endued  with  the  prophetical  gifts  of  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  namely,  that  afflictions  and  imprisonment  would 
attend  him ;  but  this  gave  him  no  concern,  being  w  il- 
ling  to  lay  down  his  life  whenever  the  gospel  required 
it,  and  fully  determined  to  serve  faithfully  his  Lord  and 
Master.  ''  I  well  know,  continued  he,  that  ye  will  see  my 
face  no  more  :  but  for  my  encouragement  and  satisfac- 
tion,  ye  yourselves  can  bear  me  witness,  that  I  have  not 
by  concealing  any  part  of  the  Christian  doctrine,  betrayed 
your  souls,  and  as  for  yourselves,  whom  God  hath  made 
bishops  and  pastors  of  his  church,  you  should  be  careful 
to  feed,  guide, and  direct  those  Christians  under  your  in- 
spection, and  be  infmitely  tender  of  the  welfare  of  the 
souls,  for  whose  redemption  the  blessed  Je  su  s  laid  down 
his  own  life.  All  the  care,  therefore,  possible  for  you  to 
use,  is  no  more  than  necessary ;  for  after  my  departure, 
heretical  teachers  will  appear  in  the  church,  to  the  great 
danger  of  the  souls  of  men,  seeking  by  every  crafty 
method,  and  pernicious  doctrine,  to  gain  proselytes  to 
their  party,  and  by  that  means  fill  the  church  of  Ch r  i  s  t 
with  schisms  and  factions.  Watch  ye  therefore,  and 
remember,  v/ithwhat  tears  and  sorrow  I  have,  during 
three  years,  w^arned  you  of  tliese  things  :  and  now  I  re- 
commend you  to  the  divine  favour  and  protection,  and 
to  the  rules  and  instructions  of  the  gospel,  which  if  ad- 
hered to,  w  ill  undoubtedly  dispose  and  perfect  you  for 
that  state  of  happiness  which  the  Almighty  hath  pre- 
pared for  the  good  men  in  the  mansions  of  eternity. — • 
You  wxll  know  that  I  have  from  the  beginning  dealt 
faithfully  and  uprightly  with  you  ;  that  I  have  had  no 
covetous  designs,  or  ever  desired  the  riches  of  other 
men  ;  nay,  I  have  laboured  with  mine  own  hands,  to 
support  me  and  ray  companions  ;  you  ought  therefore 
to  support  the  weak,  and  relieve  the  poor,  rather  than 


IJFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  189 

be  yourselves  cliargeable  to  others,  according  to  that  in- 
comparable saying  of  the  great  Redeemer  of  mankind, 
It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. 

After  having  finished  his  discourse,  St.  Paul  kneeled 
down,  and  joined  with  them  in  prayer ;  when  they  all 
melted  into  tears,  and,  with  the  greatest  expressions  of 
sorrow,  attended  him  to  the  ship ;  grieving  in  the  most 
l^assionate  manner  for  w  hat  he  had  told  them,  that  they 
should  see  his  face  no  more. 

Departing  from  Myletus,  Paul  and  his  companions 
arrived  at  Coos,  from  whence  they  sailed  the  next  day 
to  Rhodes,  two  islands  in  the  iEgian  sea.  From  whence 
they  came  to  Patra,  the  metropolis  of  Lycia,  where  they 
went  on  board  another  vessel  bound  for  Tyre  in  Phoe- 
nicia. On  his  arrival  he  visited  the  brethren  there,  and 
continued  w  ith  them  a  week,  and  was  advised  by  some 
of  them,  who  had  the  gift  of  prophecy,  not  to  go  up  to 
Jerusalem;  but  the  apostle  would  by  no  means  aban- 
don his  design,  or  refuse  to  suffer  any  thing,  provided 
he  might  spread  the  gospel  of  his  Saviour.  Finding 
all  persuasions  were  in  vain,  they  all  accompanied  him 
to  the  shore,  where  he  kneeled  down  and  prayed  with 
them;  and  after  embracing  them  with  tlie  utmost  af- 
fection, he  went  on  board,  and  came  to  Ptolemais,  and 
the  next  day  to  Caesarea.  Here  Paul  and  his  compan- 
ions lodged  in  the  house  of  Philip,  the  Evangelist,  one 
of  the  seven  deacons  set  apart  by  tiie  apostles,  and  who 
had  before  converted  the  Samaritans.  Philip  had  four 
daughters,  ail  virgins,  each  of  whom  had  a  prophetic 
spirit. 

While  they  were  in  this  place,  Agabus  a  Christian 
prophet,  came  thither -from  Judea,  who  taking  PauPs 
girdle,  bound  his  own  hands  and  feet  with  it;  signify- 
jng  by  this  external  symbol,  that  the  Jews  would  bind 
Paul  in  that  manner,  and  deliver  him  to  the  Gentiles. 
Whereupon,  both  his  own  companions  and  the  Chris- 
tians of  Caesarea,  earnestly  besouglit  him,  that  \\^  would 


190  LU^E  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

not  go  up  to  Jerusalem ;  but  the  apostle  asked  them,  if 
they  intended  by  these  passionate  dissuasives  to  add 
more  affliction  to  his  sorrow?  For  I  am  ready ^  con- 
tinued he,  not  only  to  he  bounds  hut  also  to  die  at  JerU' 
salem^for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  When  the  dis- 
ciples found  that  his  resolution  was  not  to  be  shaken 
they  importuned  him  no  further,  leaving  the  event  to 
be  determined  according  to  the  pleasure  of  the  Most 
High.  And  all  things  being  ready,  Paul  and  his  com- 
panions set  forward  on  their  journey,  and  were  kindly 
undjoyfully  received  by  the  Christians  at  Jerusalem,  on 
their  arrival. 

Paul  and  his  companions,  the  next  day  after  their  ar- 
rival,  went  to  the  house  of  St.  James  the  apostle,  where 
the  rest  of  the  bishops  and  governors  of  the  church 
were  met  together.  After  mutual  salutation,  the  apos- 
tle gave  them  a  particular  account  of  the  success  with 
which  God  had  blessed  his  endeavours  in  propagating 
Christianity  amongst  the  Gentiles ;  for  which  they  all 
joined  in  thanksgiving  to  God ;  but  withal  told  him, 
that  he  \\^as  now^  come  to  a  place  where  there  ^vere  many 
thousands  of  Jewish  converts,  who  were  all  zealous  for 
the  law^  of  Moses,  and  who  had  been  informed,  that  he 
taught  the  Jews  whom  he  had  converted,  to  renounce 
circumcision,  and  the  ceremonies  of  the  law;  that  as 
soon  as  the  multitude  heard  of  his  arrival,  they  would 
all  assemble  to  see  how  he  behaved  himself  in  this  mat- 
ter:  and  therefore,  to  prevent  disturbance,  they  thouglit 
k  advisable  for  him  to  join  himself  with  four  persons, 
who  were  at  that  time  to  accomplish  a  vow,  and  per- 
form the  usual  rites  and  ceremonies  with  them,  and 
provide  such  sacrifices  for  them,  as  the  law,  in  that  case, 
required ;  and  that  as  a  symbol  of  their  discharging 
their  vow,  they  might  shave  their  heads ;  whereby  it 
would  appear,  that  the  reports  that  were  spread  con- 
cerning him,  were  false  and  groundless,  and  that  he 
iiimself  still  observed  the  rites  and  orders  of  the  Mo- 
saical  institutions.  But  with  regard  to  the  Gentile  con- 
verts, they  required  no  such  observances  at  their  hands^ 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  1^1 

nor  expected  any  thing-  more  from  them  In  these  indif- 
ferent matters,  than  what  had  been  before  determined 
in  the  synod  formerly  held  at  Jerusalem.  St.  Paul,  who 
in  such  cases  was  willing  to  become  all  things  to  all 
men,  that  he  might  gain  the  more,  consented  to  their 
counsel ;  and,  taking  the  persons  with  him  to  the  tem- 
ple, told  the  priests  that  the  time  of  a  vow  they  had 
made  being  now  expired,  and  having  purified  them- 
sches  as  the  nature  of  their  case  required,  they  were 
come  to  make  the  offerings  which  the  law  enjoined. 

When  the  seven  davs,  which  those  sacrifices  were  to 
be  oftered,  were  almost  ended,  certain  Jew  s  from  Asia, 
finding  him  in  the  temple,  began  to  raise  a  tumult,  and 
laying  hold  on  Paul,  called  to  their  brethren  the  Jews 
to  assist  them,  declaring  that  this  was  the  person  who 
every  w^here  preached  doctrines  detrimental  to  the  Jew- 
ish nation,  and  destructive  to  the  institutions  of  the 
law,  and  the  purity  of  that  sacred  place  which  he  had 
now  defiled,  by  bringing  Greeks  into  the  temple  ;  pos- 
itively concluding,  that  because  they  had  seen  Trophi- 
mus,  a  Gentile  convert,  with  him  in  the  city,  that  he 
had  also  brought  him  into  the  temple  :  so  apt  is  malice 
to  make  any  supposition  in  order  to  draw  from  thence 
its  own  conclusion.  This  accusation,  though  absolute- 
ly false,  set  the  whole  city  in  an  uproar,  and  seizing  on 
the  apostle,  they  dragged  him  out  of  the  temple,  when 
the  doors  w^ere  immediately  shut,  to  prevent  his  return- 
ing into  that  holy  place :  nor  had  they  failed  of  soon 
putting  a  period  to  all  his  sufferings  and  troubles,  had 
not  Claudius  Lysias,  commander  of  the  Roman  garri- 
son, in  the  castle  of  Antonio,  arrived  with  a  band  of  sol- 
diers to  his  rescue,  and  supposing,  from  the  great  tu- 
mult of  the  Jews,  that  he  was  more  than  an  ordinary 
malefactor,  loaded  him  with  a  double  chain,  though  he 
was  as  yet  altogether  ignorant,  either  of  his  country,  or 
the  crime  he  was  accused  of;  it  being  impossible  to  ob- 
tain any  satisfactory  answer  from  the  multitude,  who 
called  for  nothing  but  his  death,  following  the  soldiers  iu 
such  a  riotous  manner,  that  they  were  forced  to  carrv- 


192  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

the  apostle  in  their  arms,  to  secure  him  from  the  rage 
and  violence  >o{'  the  people,  wlio  were  ready  to  tear  him 
in  pieces. 

While  they  were  going  in  this  manner  towards  the 
castle,  Paul  asked  the  governor  whether  he  might  have 
the  liberty  of  speaking  to  him  ;  who,  finding  he  undei**- 
stood  the  Greek  language,  inquired  of  him  whether  he 
was  not  an  Egyptian,  who,  a  few  years  before  had  rais- 
ed a  sedition  in  Judea,  and  headed  a  party  of  four  thou- 
sand vile  and  profligate  wretches.  To  which  the  apos- 
tle replied,  that  he  was  a  Jew  of  Tarsus,  a  freeman  of 
a  rich  and  honourable  city,  and  therefore  begged  of  him, 
that  he  might  have  leave  to  speak  unto  the  people.  This 
the  Roman  officer  readily  granted,  and  Paul,  standing 
near  the  door  of  the  castle,  made  signs  that  they  should 
hold  their  peace,  and  began  to  address  them  in  the 
Hebrew  language  :  which  engaged  them  to  listen  with 
more  attention  to  the  following  extraordinary  narra^ 
tive. 

'^  Ye  descendants  of  Jacob,  listen  to  a  person  of 
your  own  religion,  and  like  yourselves,  a  child  of  Abra- 
ham; born  in  Tarsus,  and  brought  up  in  this  city,  at 
the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  and  fully  instructed  in  the  lav/  de- 
livered bv  Moses  to  our  forefathers,  and  formerly  as 
zealous  for  the  temple- worship  as  ye  are  at  present. 

'*  Yea,  more,  I  persecuted  unto  death  all  w^ho  believed 
in  Jesus,  seizing  on  all  I  could  find  both  men  and  wo- 
men, and  cast  them  into  prison.  This  the  high-priest, 
and  all  our  elders  well  know;  for  from  them  I  received 
a  commission,  and  repaired  to  Damascus,  to  bring  from 
thence  to  Jerusalem  all  the  Christians,  in  order  to  their 
undergoing  an  exemplary  punishment.  But  as  I  was 
pursuing  my  journey,  to  execute  this  commission,  and 
being  arrived  near  Damascus,  there  appeared,  about 
mid-day,  a  light  from  heaven,  shining  around  me  whh 
great  brightness. 


I.IFE  OF  ST.  PAUL*  19d 

"  Being  terrified  at  so  awful  an  appearance  1  fell  to 
the  ground,  and  lieard  a  voice  saying  unto  me,  Saul, 
Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me?  To  which  I  answered, 
fFho  art  thou.  Lord?  And  the  voice  replied,  /  am  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  whom  tliou  persecutest, 

^  "  My  companions,  during  this  interval,  were  greatly 
terrified  at  the  great  light  which  surrounded  me;  but 
diey  did  not  understand  the  words  that  were  spoken 
from  above. 

"  As  soon  as  I  had  recovered  from  the  terror  with 
which  my  mind  was  filled,  qn  seing  Jesus  so  highly 
advanced  above  all  eiu-thly  power,  I  answered,  Wliat 
shall  I  do,  Lord?  And  he  replied,  Arise,  and  ^o  into  Da- 
mascus: and  there  it  shall  be  told  thee  of  all  things ^ 
which  are  appointed  for  thee  to  do. 

"  I  was  immediately  deprived  of  sight  by  the  brii-^ 
liance  of  the  glory  that  shone  around  me;  so  that  my 
companions  led  me  by  the  hand  to  Damascus^  where 
one  Ananias,  a  person  well  respected  by  all  the  Jews 
of  that  city,  visited  me,  and  said,  Brother  Saul,  receive 
thy  sight.  And  in  a  moment  my  eyes  were  opened, 
and  I  sa^v  him  standing  before  me. 

*'  Perceiving  that  my  sight  was  restored  he  said  to 
'  me,  The  Almighty  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Ja- 
'  cob,  hath  appointed  thee  to  know  his  will,  to  see  the 

*  great  Messiah  the  Holy  One  of  God,  and  hear  the 
^  voice  of  his  mouth :  ibr  thou  art  chosen  to  be  a  wit- 

*  ness,  to  all  the  nations  of  the  eaith,  of  those  surpris- 
'  ing  things  which  tliou  hast  seen  .and  heard.  Why 
'  therefore  tarriest  thou  here  any  longer?  Arise,  and  be 

*  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name 
'of  the  Lord: 

"  In  a  short  time  after  this  glorious  vision,  and  mi- 
raculous power  of  the  Most  High,  when  I  was  return- 
ed from  Damascus  to  Jerusalem,  and  ofl'ering  up  my 

VOL.  ii,  B  b 


l§'i  Lite  OF  sr.  PAUL. 

prayers  in  the  tcriiple,  I  fell  into  a  trance,  and  again  saw 
the  i^reat  Son  of  David,  who  said  unto  me  ^  Depart 
'  quickl}"  from  Jerusalem;  for  the  sons  of  Jacob  will  re- 

*  fuse  to  believe  thy  testimony  concerning  me.'  And  I 
answered,  *  Lord,  they  know  how  cruelly  I  used  thy 
'  saints  and  followers ;  that  I  imprisoned  and  beat  them 

*  in  every  city,  and  in  every  synagogue.  Nay,  when 
'  they  shed  the  blood  of  thy  holy  martyr  Stephen,  I  was 

*  also  one  of  the  spectators ;  I  consented  to  his  death ; 

*  I  even  kept  the  raiment  of  those  that  slew  him.'  But 
he  replied,  *  Depart :  I  will  send  thee  to  countries  far 

*  remote ;  even  to  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  there 

*  speak  in  my  name  and  publish  to  them  my  salva- 
*tion.' 

Till  now  the  Jews  had  listened  with  some  attention 
to  his  speech;  but,  on  his  mentioning  the  commission 
he  had  received  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles, 
their  fury  knew  no  bounds;  crying  out,  with  one  ac- 
cord, Away  with  such  a  fellow  from  the  earth:  he  is 
unworthy  to  be  ranked  amongst  the  race  of  mortals,  or 
even  to  breathe  the  vital  air.  And  as  they  thought 
w^ords  too  weak  to  express  their  fury,  they  threw  off 
their  clothes,  and  filled  the  air  with  dust,  indicating 
their  great  desire  of  stoning  him  to  death. 

At  this  instant  a  captain  of  the  guard  commanded 
him  to  be  brought  within  the  castle,  and  that  he  should 
be  examined  by  scourging,  till  he  confessed  the  reason 
of  the  uncommon  rage  shewn  against  him  by  the  peo- 
ple. Accordingly,  the  lictor  bound  him,  and  was  go- 
ing to  put  the  orders  he  had  received  into  execution, 
when  Paul  asked  tlie  centurion  that  stood  by,  whether 
it  was  lawful  to  scourge  a  citizen  of  Rome,  before  any 
sentence  had  been  passed  upon  him  ?  The  centurion, 
instead  of  answering  the  question,  repaired  immedi- 
ately to  the  governor,  desiring  him  to  take  care  how 
he  proceeded  against  the  prisoner,  because  he  was  a 
Eonian* 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  191 

On  this  information,  the  governor  himself  came  into 
the  prison,  and  asked  Paul,  whether  he  was  really  a  Irec 
citizen  of  Rome?  And  being  told  he  was,  he  answered, 
that  he  himself  procured  the  great  privilege  by  a  large 
sum  of  money ;  but  Paul  answered,  /  was  free  born. 
On  receiving  this  account,  the  governor  commanded 
the  centurion  not  to  scourge  him,  being  terrified  at 
what  he  had  already  done;  in  chaining  a  free  denizen 
of  Rome.  The  next  day  therefore  he  ordered  his 
chains  to  be  taken  off;  and  that  he  might  thoroughly 
satisfy  himself  of  the  cause  of  so  unusual  a  tumult  the 
preceding  day,  summoned  the  Sanhedrim  to  meet,  and 
brought  down  Paul  before  them,  that  they  might  hear 
his  defence. 

Being  thus  placed  before  the  high  council  of  the 
Jews,  Paul  told  them,  that  in  all  the  passages  of  his 
life,  he  had  taken  care  to  govern  his  actions  by  the  se- 
verest rules  of  duty  and  conscience :  Men  and  brethren^ 
I  have  lived  i?i  all  good  conscience  before  God  until  this 
day.  How  great  is  the  security  of  a  truly  good  man? 
How  strong,  though  invisible,  a  support  does  innocence 
become  in  the  greatest  danger!  With  how  generous  i^ 
confidence  does  virtue  and  honesty  guard  the  breast  of 
21  true  professor  of  Christianity !  Nothing  else  indeed 
can  lay  a  solid  foundation  for  satisfaction  and  tranquil- 
ity. When  any  calaAitv  o\'ertakes  us,  religion  and  a 
good  conscience  fill  tne  breast  with  ajieavenly  serenity, 
which  all  the  litttle  accidents  of  this  world  can  neither 
ruffle  or  discompose.  And,  accordingly,  Seneca  com- 
pares the  mind  of  a  wise  and  good  man  to  the  state  of 
the  upper  region,  which  is  always  calm  cuid  i^erene^ 
though  all  around  is  tumult  and  confusion. 

However  this  expression  of  the  apostle  might  tend 
to  shew  the  true  state  of  his  mind;  the  high-priest 
Ananias  was  so  oflended  at  it,  that  he  commanded  those 
who  stood  next  to  him,  to  strike  him  on  the  face;  at 
which  the  apostle  smartly  replied,  God  shall  smite  thee. ^ 
thou  xvhited  vjalL    Thou  art  placed  on  th'"  seat  of  judg 


196  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUl^ 

ment  to  determine  according  to  the  law,  and  command- 
est  me  to  be  smitten  in  direct  opposition  to  its  precepts. 
On  which  some  of  the  spectators  replied,  it  is  not  law- 
ful to  revile  the  hi^^h-priest  of  the  Almighty.  And  Paul 
answered,  I  did  not  know  that  Ananjas  was  appointed 
by  God  to  be  an  high-priest;  but  as  he  is  invested  with 
authority,  it  is  unjust  to  revile  him,  God  himself  Having 
commanded,  that  tw  man  should  speak  evil  of  the  ruler 
of  the  people,     St.  Paul,  now  perceiving  the  council 
consisted  partly  of  Sadducees  and  partly  of  Pharisees, 
cried  aloud.  Men  and  brethren^  lam  a  Pharisee^  a  son 
of  a  Pharisee^  and  am  now  brought  before  this  tribu- 
nal, for  asserting:  the  resuiTCCtion  from  the  dead."  This 
declaration  threw  the  whole  court  mto  confusion ;  the 
Pharisees,  being  zealous  patrons  of  that  tenet,  declared 
the  prisoner  innocent,  and  that  in  all  probability  he  had 
received  some  intimation  from  heaven  by  an  angel,  or 
die  silent  whispers  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  if  so,  they 
really  fought  against  the  Omnipotence  himself,  by  op- 
posing his  doctrine.    While  the  Sadducees,  who  denied 
the  resurrection,  together  with  the  existence  of  either 
imgel  or  si>irit,  strenuously  insisted  that  the  apostle  was 
a  turbulent  person,  and  ought  to  be  punished  for  his  mis- 
conduct. 

Hereupon  the  council  was  gr||dy  divided,  and  their 
dissentions  increased  to  that  Jlp-ee,  that  the  captain 
feared  Paul  would  have  been  pulled  in  pieces  by  them, 
and  therefore  took  him  from  the  bar,  and  carried  him 
back  to  U^-e  castle.  But  during  the  silence  of  the  night, 
the  great  Redeemer  of  mankind,  to  comfort  his  faithful 
servant  uixler  all  the  terrors  he  had  suffered  the  two  pre- 
ceding days,  appeared  to  him  in  a  vision,  encouraging 
him  to  constancy  and  resolution,  assuring  him,  that  as 
he  had  borne  witness  of  him  at  Jerusalem,  he  should, 
notwithstanding  all  the  malice  and  wicked  designs  of 
his  enemies,  live  to  bear  his  testimony  even  in  Rome 
itself  before  the  Gentiles. 

'^lie  Jews,  whose  envy  and  malice  were  i;ncrcased  by 


I.H'E  OF  ST.  PAUL.  197 

the  dilatory  proceedings,  determined,  the  next  morn- 
ing, to  use  a  quicker  method  of  putting  a  period  to  his 
life.  In  order  to  this,  about  forty  of  the  most  turbu- 
lent entered  into  a  shocking  confederacy  of  killing  him, 
ratifying  it  by  an  oath,  and  the  most  bitter  execration, 
that  they  would  neither  eat  nor  drink  till  they  had  put 
their  inhuman  desi2:n  in  execution :  but  such  vile  mon- 
sters  would  do  well  to  remember,  that  a  Being,  from 
whose  eye  nothing  can  be  concealed,  and  whose  power 
nothing  can  resist,  is  privy  to  all  theif"  actions,  often  ren- 
ders their  designs  abortive,  and  will  surely  punish  them 
for  their  base  attempts.  Accordingly,  this  design, 
though  probably  concluded  under  the  pitchy  mantle  of 
the  night  was  discovered  to  St.  Paul,  b}^  his  sister's 
son,  and,  at  the  request  of  the  apostle,  told  to  the  gov- 
ernor himself,  who  immediately  commanded  two  par- 
ties of  horse  and  foot  to  be  ready  by  nine  o'clock  that 
night,  in  order  to  conduct  St.  Paul  to  Felix,  the  Roman 
governor  of  that  province,  to  whom  also  he  sent  an  ac- 
count of  the  whole  proceedings  of  the  Jews  against  the 
prisoner;  and,  at  the  same  time,  ordered  his  accusers 
also  to  appear  before  the  Roman  magistrate  :  accord- 
ingly St.  Paul  was  conducted  to  Antipatris,  and  after- 
wards to  Csesarea,  where  the  letters  being  delivered  to 
Felix,  the  apostle  was  also  presented  to  him;  and  fmd- 
ing  tliat  he  belonged  to  the  province  of  Cilicia,  he  told 
him,  that  as  soon  as  his  accusers  were  come  down,  he 
would  determine  the  affair,  and  commanded  him  to  be 
secured  in  the  place  called  Herod's  Hall,  till  they  should 
appear  against  him. 

Ananias  the  high  priest,  with  some  others  of  the 
Sanhedrim,  came  to  Ca^sarea,  a  lew  days  after  St.  Paul's 
arrival,  accompanied  by  Tcrtuilus  their  advocate,  who, 
in  a  short,  but  eloquent  speech,  adorned  with  all  the 
flattering  and  insinuating  arts  of  oratory,  began  to  ac- 
cuse the  apostle,  charging  him  with  sedition,  heresy, 
and  the  profanation  of  the  temple ;  tluit  they  would 
have  saved  him  the  trouble  of  this  hearing,  by  judging 
him  according  to  their  own  law,  had  not  Lysias,  the 


198  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

chief  captain,  violently  taken  him  from  them,  and  sent 
both  the  prisoner  and  them  to  Cassarea,  by  a  guard  of 
soldiers. 

The  charge  of  the  orator  against  the  apostle  being 
finished,  Felix  told  St.  Paul,  that  he  was  now  at  liberty 
to  make  his  defence:  accordingly  he  distinctly  answer- 
ed every  part  of  the  charge,  in  the  following  manner. 
**  I  answer  this  charge  of  the  Jews  with  greater  satis- 
faction  before  thee,  because  thou  hast  for  many  years 
been  a  judge  of  this  nation.  About  twelve  days  since, 
I  repaired  to  Jerusalem,  to  worship  the  God  of  Jacob ; 
but  I  neither  disputed  with  any  man,  or  endeavoured  to 
stir  up  the  people  in  the  synagogues  of  the  city ;  nor 
can  they  prove  the  charge  they  have  brought  against 
me  at  this  time. 

*'  However,  I  readily  confess,  that  after  the  way 
v^hich  they  call  heresy,  so  worship  I  the  God  of  my 
fathers,  firmly  believing  every  part  of  the  wi'itings  of 
Moses  and  the  prophets ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  believe 
as  they  themselves  also  do,  that  the  Almighty  will  raise 
at  the  last  day,  both  the  just  and  unjust  from  the  dead; 
and  I  am  careful  to  maintain  a  clear  and  quiet  con- 
science, both  towards  God  and  man,  agreeable  to  this 
faith. 

'*  Having  spent  some  years  in  distant  countries,  I  re- 
paired to  Jerusalem,  with  the  alms  I  had  collected  in 
other  provinces,  for  the  poor  of  mine  o^vn  nation,  and 
piferings  for  the  God  of  Jacob.  And  while  I  was  per- 
forming the  duties  of  religion,  certain  Asiatic  Jews 
found  me  in  the  temple,  purified  according  to  the  law; 
but  neither  attended  with  a  multitude  of  followers,  or 
the  least  tumultuous  assembly.  It  was  therefore  ne- 
cessary, that  these  Jews  should  have  been  here,  if  they 
had  any  thing  to  alledge  against  me :  nay,  I  appeal  to 
those  of  the  Sanhedrim  here  present,  if  any  thing  has 
been  laid  to  my  charge,  except  the  objectioirs  of  th^ 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  199 

Sadducecs,  who  violently  opposed  me  for  asserting  the 
doctrine  of  the  resurrection  from  the  grave  at  the  last 
day.'^ 

Having  thus  heard  both  parties,  Felix  refused  to  pass 
any  final  sentence,  till  he  had  more  fully  advised  about 
it,  and  consulted  Lysias  the  governor  of  the  castle, 
who  ^vas  the  most  proper  person  to  give  an  account  of 
the  sedition  and  tumult ;  commanding,  in  the  mean  time 
that  St.  Paul  should  be  kept  under  a  guard,  but  at  the 
same  time  enjoy  the  liberty  of  being  visited  by  his 
friends,  and  receive  from  them  any  office  of  friendship 
and  kindness  they  thought  proper  to  bestow. 

Drusilla,  a  Jewess,  and  daughter  of  the  elder  Herod, 
who  was  also  the  wife  of  Felix,  soon  after  this  came 
down  to  him  at  C^esarea,  in  whose  presence  the  gover- 
nor sent  for  Paul,  and  gave  him  leave  to  explain  the 
doctrines  of  Christianity.  In  this  discourse,  the  apos- 
tle took  occasion  particularly  to  insist  upon  the  great 
obligation  which  the  laws  of  Christ  lay  upon  men  to 
judgment  and  righteousness,  to  sobriety  and  chastity; 
urging,  at  the  same  time,  the  true  and  impartial  account 
that  must  be  given  at  the  judgment  of  the  great  day, 
Avhenall  m<?n  shall  be  arraigned  before  the  awful  tribu- 
nal of  Omnipotence,  for  the  actions  of  their  past  lives, 
and  be  eternally  punished  or  rewarded,  according  to 
their  works  done  in  the  bodv. 

This  reasoning  was  wisely  adopted  to  the  state  and 
temper  of  Felix  ;  but  corrosives  are  very  uneasy  to  a 
guilt}^  mind  :  men  naturally  hate  whatever  brings  their 
sins  to  remembrance,  and  sharpens  the  sting  of  a  vio- 
lated conscience.  But  liowever  disagreeable  these 
truths  may  be,  they  cannot  be  heard  without  confusion; 
and,  accordingly,  when  St.  Paul  pathetically  described 
the  terrors  of  the  last  judgment,  Felix  trembled  on  his 
throne;  and  was  so  greatly  afi'ected,  that  he  caused  the 
apostle  to  break  off  abruptly,  telling  him  that  he  would 
hear  the  remainder  of  his  discourse  at  a  season  more 
conTenient  than  the  present. 


too  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL/ 

Certain])^  Felix  had  sufficient  reason  to  trem!)le,  and 
his  conscience  to  be  sensibly  alarmed  at  these  refiec- 

tions;  for  he  was  a  man  notoriowslv  infamous  for  ra- 

,  ml 

pine  and  violence.  Tacitus  tells  us,  that  he  made  his 
will  the  law  of  the  government,  practising  all  manner 
of  cruelty  and  injustice:  his  incontinence,  luxury,  and 
debauchery,  was  remarkable ;  nor  did  he  scruple  to  vi- 
olate all  the  la\vs  of  God  and  man,  and  to  satisfy  his 
unruly  passions:  to  these  qualities  he  added  bribery  and 
covetousness ;  and  therefore,  often  sent  for  our  apos- 
tle to  discourse  with  him,  expecting  he  would  have 
given  him  a  considerable  sum  for  his  release ;  having 
in  all  probability,  heard  that  St.  Paul  had  brought  a 
large  quantity  of  money  to  Jerusalem ;  but  finding  no 
offers  were  made  him,  either  by  the  apostle  himself  or 
his  friends,  he  kept  him  prisoner  two  years ;  when  he 
himself  being  discharged  from  his  office  by  Nero,  he 
left  Paul  in  prison,  in  order  to  gratify  the  malice  of  the 
Jews,  and  engage  them,  after  his  departure  from  Judea, 
to  speak  the  better  of  his  government. 

After  the  displacing  of  Felix,  the  government  of 
the  province  was  conferred  on  Fortius  Festus,  before 
whom,  at  his  first  coming  to  Jerusalem,  the  high-priest 
and  Sanhedrim  preferred  an  indictment  against  Paul, 
desiring  that  he  might  be  sent  for  up  to  Jerusalem,  in 
order  to  his  trial,  intending  to  assassinate  him  by  the 
way :  but  Festus  told  them,  that  he  was  shortly  going 
himself  to  Cassarea;  and  that,  if  they  had  any  com- 
plaint against  Paul,  they  might  come  down  thither  and 
accuse  him.  Accordingly,  as  soon  as  he  was  come  to 
Caesarea,  he  ascended  the  tribunal,  where  the  Jews  re- 
newed the  charge  they  had  before  brought  against 
Paul ;  but  the  apostle  soon  cleared  himself  of  every 
part  of  the  charge,  they  not  being  able  to  prove  any 
thing  against  him.  Festus  however,  being  willing  to 
procure  the  favour  of  the  Jews  at  his  entrance  on  the 
government,  asked  him  whether  he  would  go  up  and 
be  tried  before  him  at  Jerusalem  ?  But  the  apostle  well 
knowing  the  consequences  of  such  a  proposal,  answered,. 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  2^1 

**  1  am  a  Roman,  and  therefore  ought  to  be  judged  by 
the  Roman  law;  and  now  stand  before  the  judgment- 
seat  of  Cffisar.  I  have  done  nothing  against  the  Jews, 
a  fact  thou  thyself  very  well  knowest  to  be  true.  If 
I  have  committed  any  thing  that  deserves  death,  I 
am  ready  to  die  ;  but  if  not,  no  person  hath  a  power 
to  deliver  me  into  the  hands  of  mine  enemies,  /  ap- 
peal unto  desar. 

Appeals  of  this  nature  were  common  amongst  the 
Romans,  and  introduced  to  defend  and  secure  the  lives 
and  fortunes  of  the  people  from  the  unjust  encroach- 
ment and  over-righteous  severities  of  the  magistrates, 
whereby  it  was  lawful  in  cases  of  oppression  to  ap- 
peal to  the  emperor  for  redress;  a  thing  more  than 
once  settled  by  the  sanction  of  the  Valerian  law,  and 
now  fully  established. 

King  Agrippa,  who  succeeded  Herod  in  the  tetrar*' 
chate  of  Galilee,  and  his  sister  Bernice,  came  to  Cse 
sarea,  some  time  after  St.  Paul  had  appealed  to  Caesar, 
to  visit  the  new  governor.  Festus  embraced  this  op- 
portunity of  mentioning  the  case  of  our  apostle  to 
king  Agrippa,  together  with  the  remarkable  tumult 
this  affair  had  occasioned  amongst  the  Jews,  and  the 
appeal  he  had  made  to  Caesar.  This  account  excited 
the  curiosity  of  king  Agrippa,  and  he  was  desirous  ot 
hearing  himself  what  St.  Paul  had  to  say  in  his  own 
vindication.  Accordingly  the  next  day  the  king  and 
his  sister,  accompanied  with  Festus  the  governor,  and 
several  other  persons  of  distinction,  came  into  the 
court  with  a  pompous  and  splendid  retinue,  where  the 
prisoner  was  brought  before  them.  On  his  appearing, 
Festus  informed  the  court  how  greatly  he  had  been  im- 
portuned by  the  Jews,  both  at  Cassarea  and  Jerusalem, 
to  put  the  prisoner  to  death  as  a  malefactor;  but  hav- 
ing, on  examination,  found  him  guilty  of  no  capital 
crime,  and  the  prisoner  himself  having  appealed  unto 
Ccesar,  he  was  determined  to  send  him  to  Rome;  but 
was  willing  to  have  his  cause  debated  before  Agrippa, 

voL*^  ir.  c  c 


20$  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

that  he  might  be  furnished  with  some  material  parti- 
culars to  send  with  him ;  it  being  highly  absurd  to  send 
thither  a  prisoner  without  signifying  the  crimes  laid 
to  his  charge. 

After  Festus  had  finished  his  speech,  Agrippa  told 
Paul,  he  was  now  at  liberty  to  make  his  own  defence : 
and  silence  being  made,  he  addressed  his  speech  par- 
ticularly to  Agrippa,  in  the  following  manner. 

*'  I  esteem  it  a  particular  happiness,  king  Agrippa, 
that  I  am  to  make  my  defence  against  the  accusations 
of  the  Jews,  before  thee;  because  thou  art  well  ac- 
quainted with  all  their  customs,  and  the  questions 
commonly  debated  amongst  them  :  I  therefore  be- 
seech thee  to  hear  me  patiently  and  impartially. 

"  The  Jews  in  general  are  well  acquainted  with  my 
manner  of  life  from  my  youth,  the  greatest  part  of  it 
having  been  spentHvith  mine  own  countrymen  at  Je- 
rusalem. They  also  know  that  I  was  educated  under 
the  institutions  of  the  Pharisees,  the  strictest  sect  of 
our  religion,  and  am  now  arraigned  for  a  tenet  believ- 
ed by  all  their  fathers,  a  tenet  sufficiently  credible  in 
itself,  and  plainly  revealed  in  the  Scripture,  I  mean, 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  Why  should  any  mortal 
think  it  either  incredible  or  impossible,  that  God 
should  raise  the  dead  to  life  ? 

*'  I  once  thought  myself  indispensably  obliged  to 
oppose  the  religion  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth:  nor  was  I 
satisfied  with  imprisoning,  and  punishing  with  death 
itself,  the  saints  I  found  at  Jerusalem;  I  even  perse- 
cuted them  in  strange  cities,  whither  my  implacable 
zeal  pursuedjthem,  having  procured  authority  from  the 
chief  priests  and  eldei*s  for  that  purpose. 

•*  I  departed  accordingly  for  Damascus  with  a  com- 
mission from  the  Sanhedrim ;  but  as  I  was  travelling 
towards  that  city,  I  saw  at  mid-day,  O  king,  alight 


LIFE  OP  ST.  PAUL.  203 

from  heaven,  far  exceeding  the  brightness  of  the  sun, 
encompassing  me  and  my  companions.  On  seeing 
this  awful  appearance,  we  all  fell  to  the  earth  ;  and  I 
heard  a  voice,  which  said  to  me  in  the  Hebrew  lan- 
guage, Sauli  Saul,  zvliy  perseciitest  thou  me^  It  is  hard 
for  thee  to  kick  against  the  pricks  ?  To  which  I  an- 
swered, Who  art  thou^  Lord  P  And  he  replied,  /  am 
Jesus,  ivhom  thou  perseciitest :  but  be  not  terrified, 
arise  from  the  earth;  for  I  have  appeared  unto  thee, 
that  thou  mightest  be  both  w^itness  of  the  things  thou 
hast  seen,  and  also  of  others  which  I  will  hereafter  re- 
veal unto  thee:  my  power  shall  deliver  thee  from  the 
Jews  and  the  Gentiles,  to  whom  now  I  send  thee  to 
preach  the  gospel;  to  withdraw  the  veil  of  darkness 
and  ignorance,  to  turn  them  from  falsehood  unto  truth, 
and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God, 

**  Hereupon,  king  Agrippa,  I  readily  obeyed  the 
heavenly  vision;  I  preached  the  gospel  first  to  the  in- 
habitants of  Damascus,  then  to  those  of  Jerusalem 
and  Judea,  and  afterwards  to  the  Gentiles;  persuad- 
ing them  to  forsake  their  iniquities,  and  turn  to  the 
living  God,  by  sincere  repentance. 

"  The  Jews,  being  exasperated  at  these  endeavours 
to  save  the  souls  of  sinful  mortals,  caught  me  in  the 
temple,  and  entered  into  a  conspiracy  to  destroy  me; 
but  by  the  help  of  Omnipotence,  I  still  remain  a  wnt- 
ness  to  all  the  human  race,  preaching  nothing  but  what 
Moses  and  all  the  prophets  foretold,  namely,  that  the 
Messiah  should  suffer,  be  the  first  that  should  rise  from 
the  chambers  of  the  grave,  and  publish,  both  to  the 
Jews  and  Gentiles,  the  glad-tidings  of  salvation/'  , 

After  the  apostle  had  thus  pleaded  for  himself,  Fes- 
tus  cried  out,  **  Paul,  thou  art  mad;  too  much  study 
hath  deprived  thee  of  thy  reason."  But  Paul  answer- 
ed, *^  I  am  far,  most  noble  Festus,  from  being  trans- 
ported with  idle  and  distracted  ideas ;  the  words  I 
^peak  are  dictated  by  truth  and  sobriety  :  and  I  am 


204  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

persuaded  that  king  Agrlppa  himself  is  not  ignorant 
ot  these  things:  for  they  were  transacted  openly  be- 
fore the  world.  I  am  confident,  king  Agrippa,  that 
thou  believest  the  prophets  j  and  therefore,  must  know 
that  all  their  predictions  were  fulfilled  in  Christ/* 
To  which  Agrippa  answered,  "  Thou  hast  almost  per- 
suaded me  to  embrace  the  Christian  faith."  And  Paul 
replied,  "  I  sincerely  wish,  that  not  only  thou,  but  also 
all  that  hear  me,  were  not  almost,  but  altogether  the 
same  as  myself,  except  being  prisoners." 

After  Paul  had  thus  spoken,  the  king  and  the  gov- 
ernor, with  the  rest  of  the  council,  withdrew  to  confer 
privately  together;  and  finding,  by  the  accusations 
brought  against  him,  that  he  w^as  not  guilty  by  the  Ro- 
man law  of  any  capital  offence,  nor  even  of  such  as 
deserved  imprisonment,  Agrippa  told  Festus,  that  he 
might  have  been  set  at  liberty  if  he  had  not  appealed 
unto  Caesar;  but  an  appeal  being  once  made,  the 
judge  had  no  longer  any  power  either  to  absolve  or 
condemn,  the  cause  being  entirely  reserved  to  the  cog- 
nizance of  that  superior,  to  whom  the  prisoner  had 
appealed,  for  his  own  justification* 

As  it  was  now  finally  determined  Paul  should  be 
sent  to  Rome,  he,  with  several  others,  prisoners  of  con- 
sequence, were  committed  to  the  care  of  Julius,  com- 
mander of  a  company  belonging  to  the  legion  of  Au- 
gustus ;  and  was  accompanied  in  this  voyage  by  St. 
Luke,  Aristarchus,  Trophimus,  and  some  others  not 
mentioned  by  the  sacred  penman. 

In  the  month  of  September  56,  or  according  to 
others,  57,  they  embarked  on  board  a  ship  of  Adra- 
myttium,  and  sailed  to  Sidon,  where  the  centurion 
courteously  gave  the  apostle  leave  to  go  on  shore  to 
visit  his  friends,  and  refresh  himself.  After  a  short  stay 
they  sailed  for  Cyprus,  and  arrived  opposite  the  Fair 
Havens,  a  place  near  Myra,  a  city  of  Lycia.  Here 
the  season  being  far  advanced,  and  Paul  foreseeing  it 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PA^L.  205 

would  be  a  dangerous  voyage,  persuaded  them  to  put 
in  and  winter  there  j  but  the  Roman  centurion  pre- 
ferring the  opinion  of  the  master  of  the  ship,  and  the 
harbour  being  at  the  same  time  incommodious,  re- 
solved if  possible,  to  reach  Phcenice,  a  port  of  Crete, 
and  winter  there.  But  they  soon  found  themselves 
disappointed ;  for  the  fine  southerly  gale,  which  had 
favoured  them  for  some  time,  suddenly  changed  into 
a  stormy  and  tempestuous  wind  at  north-east,  which 
blew  with  such  violence  that  the  ship  was  obliged  to 
sail  betore  it ;  and  to  prevent  her  foundering  they 
threw  overboard  the  principal  part  of  her  lading,  to 
lighten  the  vessel. 

They  continued  fourteen  days  in  this  desperate  and 
uncomfortable  condition,  neither  sun  nor  star  appear- 
ing for  great  part  of  the  time.  During  this  confusion 
the  apostle  put  them  in  mind  how  preposterously  they 
had  acted  in  not  listening  to  his  advice;  but,  at  the 
same  time  told  them,  that  the  God  whom  he  served 
and  worshipped,  had  the  last  night  sent  an  angel  to 
him,  with  assurance  that,  notwithstanding  the  present 
danger,  not  one  of  their  lives  should  be  lost,  though 
the  ship  should  be  wrecked. 

When  the  fourteenth  night  arrived,  the  sailors,  upon 
sounding,  found  they  were  near  some  coast;  and  there- 
fore, to  avoid  the  rocks,  thought  proper  to  come  to  an 
anchor,  till  the  morning  might  give  them  better  infor- 
mation. In  the  mean  time,  the  seamen,  who  best 
understood  the  danger,  were  preparing  to  get  into  the 
boat,  to  save  themselves;  which  Paul  perceiving,  told 
the  captain,  that  unless  they  all  stayed  in  the  ship,  not 
one  of  them  could  be  saved:  whereupon  the  soldiers 
cut  the  ropes,  and  let  the 'boat  fall  into  the  sea,  from 
the  ship. 

While  they  continued  at  anchor,  waiting  for  the 
light  of  the  morning,  St.  Paul  prevailed  upon  them  to 
eat.  and  refresh  themselves,  having  fasted  a  long  timci^ 


2a6,  LIFE  OF  ST    PAUL. 

assuring  them  they  should  all  escape.  When  they  had 
finished  their  repast,  they  lightened  the  ship  of  those 
goods  which  still  remained  on  board,  and  endeavoured 
to  put  into  a  small  creek  they  had  discovered  at  a  little 
distance  ;  but  falling  into  a  place  where  two  seas  met, 
4he  ship  ran  aground,  the  forepart  remaining  immov- 
able, but  the  after  part  was  demolished  by  the  waves: 
awakened  with  the  danger  they  were  in,  the  soldiers 
were  desirous  of  killing  the  prisoners,  lest  any  of  them 
should  make  their  escape  :  but  the  centurion  willing 
to  save  Paul,  refused  his  consent,  commanding  that 
every  one  should  shift  for  himself  in  the  best  method 
he  could.  Accordingly,  some  by  swimming,  and  others 
by  broken  pieces  of  the  ship,  they  all,  to  the  number 
two  hundred  threescore,  and  sixteen,  got  to  shore  in 
safety. 

Agreeable  to  St.'PauFs  prediction,  the  country  on 
which  they  were  cast,  was  an  island  called  Melita, 
now  Malta,  situated  in  the  Lybian  sea,  between  Sy- 
racuse and  Africa.  Here  they  met  with  great  civility 
from  a  barbarous  set  of  people,  and  the  plain  acknow- 
ledgments of  a  divine  justice  written  on  the  naked 
and  uninstructed  minds  of  men ;  they  treated  them 
with  great  humanity,  entertaining  them  with  all  the 
necessary  accommodations  :  but  while  St,  Paul  was 
laying  a  tew  sticks  on  the  fire,  a  viper  enlivened  by  the 
heat,  came  from  amongst  the  w^ood  and  fastened  on 
his  hand.  On  seeing  this,  the  inhabitants  of  the  island 
concluded ,  that  he  certainly  was  some  notorious  murder- 
er, whom  the  divine  vengeance,  though  it  sulferedhim 
to  escape  the  sea,  had  reserved  for  a  more  public  and 
solemn  execution  :  but  when  they  saw  him  shake  off 
the  venomous  creature  into  the  fire,  and  no  manner  of 
barm  ensue,  they  changed  their  sentiments,  and  cried 
out,  Ihat  he  ivas  a  God :  so  easily  are  light  and  cred- 
ulous minds  transported  from  one  extreme  to  another 
according  to  the  difference  of  occurrences. 

The  residence  of  Publius,  the  governor  of  the  islan^ 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  207 

was  not  far  from  the  place  were  they  were  shipwreck- 
ed :  he  entertained  this  unfortunate  company  with 
great  hospitality  for  three  days;  in  acknowledgment 
of  which  St.  Paul  by  his  prayers,  and  the  imposition 
of  his  hands,  recovered  his  father  from  a  fever  and 
bloody-flux  ;  and  restored  several  others  of  the  inhab- 
itants, afflicted  with  different  diseases,  to  their  former 
health  and  strength  ;  in  consequence  of  which,  they 
not  only  shewed  him  the  greatest  marks  of  theiresteem, 
but  furnished  both  him  and  his  company  with  all  the 
necessaries  proper  for  the  rest  of  their  voyage. 

After  three  months  stay  in  this  island,  the  centurion 
with  his  charge  went  on  board  the  Castor  and  Pollux, 
a  ship  of  Alexandria,  bound  to  Italy.  They  put  in  at 
Syracuse,  where  they  tarried  three  days,  sailed  from 
thence  to  Regium,  and  so  to  Puteoli,  where  they  land- 
ed ;  and  finding  some  Christians  there,  staid  at  their 
request  a  week  with  them,  and  then  set  forward  on 
their  journey  to  Rome.  The  Christians  of  this  city, 
hearing  of  the  apostle's  coming,  went  to  meet  him  as 
far  as  the  Three  Taverns,  about  thirty  miles  from 
Rome,  and  others  as  far  as  the  Apii  Forum,  lifty-one 
miles  distant  from  the  capital  :  they  kindly  embraced 
each  other,  and  the  liberty  lie  saw  the  Christians  en- 
joy at  Rome,  greatly  tended  to  enliven  the  spirits  of 
the  apostle.  By  these  Christians  he  was  conducted 
in  a  kind  of  triumph  into  the  city,  where,  at  their  arri- 
val, the  rest  of  the  prisoners  were  delivered  to  the  cap- 
tain of  the  guard,  and  by  him  disposed  in  the  common 
prison  j  but  St.  Paul,  probably  by  the  intercession  of 
Julius,  was  permitted  to  reside  in  a  private  house,  with 
only  one  soldier  to  guard  him. 

St.  Paul  arriving  at  Rome,  he  sent,  after  he  had 
been  there  three  days,  for  the  heads  of  the  Jewish  con- 
sistory in  that  city,  and  related  to  them  the  cause  of 
his  coming,  in  the  following  manner:  ''Though  J 
have  been  guilty  of  no  violence  of  the  laws  of  our  re- 
ligion, yet  X  was  delivered  by  the  Jews  at  Jerusalem 


20k  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

to  the  Roman  governors,  who  more  than  once  would 
have  acquitted  me  as  innocent  of  any  capital  offence ; 
but  by  the  perverseness  of  my  persecutors,  I  was  obh'g- 
ed  to  appeal  unto  Caesar  ;  not  that  I  had  any  thing  to 
accuse  my  nation  of:  I  had  therefore  recourse  to  this 
method,  merely  to  prove  mine  own  innocency,  and 
confute  the  allegations  of  my  enemies.'' 

A  popular  prejudice  being  thus  removed  he  added, 
"  That  the  true  cause  of  his  sufferings  was  what  their 
own  religion  had  taught  him,  the  belief  and  expecta- 
tion of  a  future  resurrection."  This  speech  gained 
greatly  on  their  affections,  and  they  answered.  That 
they  had  received  no  advice  concerning  him,  nor  had 
any  of  the  Jews  that  came  from  Judea  brought  any 
charge  against  him  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  they  desir- 
ed to  know  what  he  had  to  say  in  support  of  the  reli- 
gion he  embraced,  it  being  every  where  decried  both 
by  Jew  and  Gentile.  Accordingly,  upon  a  day  ap- 
pointed, he  discoursed  with  them  from  morning  to 
night  concerning  the  religion  and  doctrine  of  the  holy 
Jesus;  proving,  from  the  promises  and  predictions  of 
the  Old  Testament,  that  he  was  the  true  Messiah  ;  but 
his  discourse  had  different  effects  on  different  hearers, 
some  being  convinced,  and  others  persisting  in  their 
infidelity ;  and  as  they  were  departing  in  some  dis- 
content at  each  other,  the  apostle  told  them,  it  was 
too  plain  that  God  had  accomplished  upon  them  the 
prophetical  curse,  of  being  left  to  their  own  wilful 
hardinesss  and  impenitency  to  be  blind  at  noon-day, 
and  to  run  themselves  headlong  into  the  irrecoverable 
ruin.  That  since  this  was  the  case,  they  must  expect 
that  he  would  henceforth  preach  to  the  Gentiles, 
who  would  very  readily  embrace  the  glad-tidings  of 
the  gospel,  which  they  i,Q  scornfully  rejected. 

During  two  whole  years,  Paul  dwelt  at  Rome,  in  a 
house  he  had  hired  for  his  own  use  \  wherein  he  con- 
stantly employed  himself  in  preaching  and  writing  for 
the  good  of  the  church.     He  preached  daily  without 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  2,99 

antcrruption,  and  with  remarkable  success ;  so  that 
his  imprisonment  contributed  greatly  to  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  gospelj  and  rendered  him  famous  even  in 
the  emperor's  court,  where  he  converted  several  to  the 
faith  of  Christ. 

Besides  others  of  the  apostle's  converts  at  Rome,  there 
was  one  Onesimus,  who  had  formerly  been  a  servant 
to  Philemon,  a  person  of  distinction  in  Colosse,  but 
had  run  away  from  his  master,  and  taken  with  him  some 
things  of  value.  Having  rambled  as  far  as  Rome,  he 
was  now  converted  by  St.  Paul,  and  by  him  returned 
to  his  master,  with  a  short  recommendatory  letter, 
earnestly  desiring  him  to  pardon  him  ;  and,  notwith- 
standing his  former  faults,  to  treat  him  kindly,  and  use 
him  as  a  brother,  promising  withal,  that  if  he  had 
wronged  or  owed  him  any  thing,  he  himself  would  re- 
pay it  for  him. 

St.  Paul's  Epistle  on  this  subject  may  be  considered 
as  a  master-piece  of  eloquence,  in  the  persuasive  way^ 
for  the  apostle  has  herein  had  recourse  to  all  the  con- 
siderations, which  friendship,  religion,  piety  and  ten- 
derness, can  inspire,  to  reconcile  a  master  to  his  ser- 
vant ;  and  yet  some  of  the  ancients  were  of  opinion, 
that  it  did  not  deserve  a  place  in  the  canon  ot  iScrip- 
ture,  because  it  was  written  on  a  particular  occasion, 
and  with  a  design  not  so  much  to  instruct  Christians 
in  general,  as  to  recommend  a  poor  fugitive  servant: 
but  though  the  subject  of  this  Epistle  be  a  private  af- 
fair, yet  it  contains,  amongst  others,  the  following  ge- 
neral instruction  :  First,  that  no  Christian,  though  of 
the  meanest  condition,  is  to  be  contemned.  Sccundlijy 
That  Christianity  does  not  impair  the  power  of  mas- 
ters over  their  servants.  T/^/r^/j/,  that  servants  ought 
to  make  satisfaction  for  any  wrong  or  injury  done  to 
their  masters,  Fourthlij,  That  masters  ought  to  be 
reconciled  to  their  servants,  upon  their  repentance  and 
acknowledgment  of  their  faults,  Ar.d,  Fifihlij,  That 
there  is  at  all  times,  a  love  and  affection  due  from  a 

VOL.  ?i.  D   d 


3I(^  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

master  to  ^  servant.  Who,  therefore,  would  refuse  to 
number  an  Epistle  so  profitable,  and  so  instructive, 
with  the  rest  of  the  works  of  this  learned  apostle  ? 

The  Phih"ppians  hearing  of  St.  Paul's  imprisonment 
at  Rome,  and  not  knowing  what  straits  he  might  be 
reduced  to,  raised  a  contribution  for  him,  and  sent  it 
by  Epaphroditus  their  bishop,  by  whom  he  returned 
an  Epistle  to  them,  wherein  he  gives  some  account  of 
the  state  of  his  affairs  at  Rome  ;  gratefully  acknow- 
ledges their  kindness  to  him  ;  warns  them  against  the 
dangerous  opinions  which  the  Judaizing  teachers  be- 
gan to  vent  amongst  them  ;  and  advises  them  to  live 
in  continual  obedience  to  Christ  ;  to  avoid  disputa- 
tions, delight  in  prayer,  be  courageous  under  afflic- 
tion, united  in  love,  and  clothed  with  humility,  in  im- 
itation of  the  blessed  Jesus,  who  so  far  humbled  him- 
self, as  to  btcovie  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death 
of  the  crosSyiox  the  sins  of  men. 

The  apostle  had  lived  three  years  at  Ephesus,  preach- 
ing the  gospel  to  the  numerous  inhabitants  of  that 
city,  and  was  therefore  well  acquainted  with  the  state 
and  condition  of  the  place  ;  so  that  taking  the  oppor- 
tunity of  Tychicus's  going  thither  he  wrote  his  Epis- 
tle to  the  Ephesians,  wherein  he  endeavours  to  coun- 
termine the  principles  and  practices  both  of  the  Jews 
snd  Gentiles  5  to  confirm  them  in  the  belief  and  prac- 
tice of  the  Christian  doctrine ;  and  to  instruct  them 
fully  in  the  great  mysteries  of  the  gospel ;  that  re- 
demption and  justification  by  the  death  of  Christ  ; 
their  gratuitous  electron  :  their  union  with  the  Jews  in 
the  body,  of  which  Christ  is  the  head,  and  the  glo- 
rious exaltation  of  that  head  above  all  creatures  both 
spiritual  and  temporal ;  together  with  many  excellent 
moral  precepts,  both  as  to  the  general  duties  of  reli- 
gion, and  the  duties  of  their  particular  relations  in 
life. 

Though  St,  Paul  himself  had  never  been  at  ColoSsep. 


LIFE  OF  ST,  PAUL.  211 

yet  Epapbras,  who  was  then  at  Rome  a  prisoner  with 
him,  had  preached  the  gospel  there  with  pjood  success; 
and  from  him  might  learn,  that  certain  false  teachers 
had  endeavoured  to  persuade  the  people,  that  they 
ought  not  to  apply  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ,  who 
since  his  ascension,  was  so  far  exalted  above  them,  that 
angels  were  now  become  the  proper  mediators  be- 
tween God  and  man;  and,  therefore,  in  opposition  to 
this,  as  well  as  other  seductions  of  the  same  nature, 
he  wrote  his  EpistJe  to  the  Colossians  ;  wherein  he 
magnificently  displays  the  Messiah,  and  all  the  bene- 
fits flowing  from  him,  as  being  the  image  of  his  Fa- 
ther, the  Redeemer  of  all  mankind,  the  reconciler  of 
all  things  to  God,  and  the  head  of  the  church,  which 
gives  life  and  vigourtoall  its  members:  he  commends 
the  doctrine  preached  to  them  by  Epaphras,  and  ex- 
horts them  not  to  be  led  away  by  the  reasonings  of  hu- 
man philosophy,  by  the  superstitious  practices  of  mak- 
ing  differences  of  meats  and  drinks,  or  by  a  pretended 
humility  in  worshipping  angels;  and  gives  them  an 
abstract  of  many  principal  duties  of  the  Christian  life, 
especially  such  as  respect  the  relations  between  hus- 
bands and  wives,  parents  and  children,  masters  and 
servants,  and  other  social  and  relative  duties. 

We  have  no  account  in  historv,  by  what  means  St„ 
Paul  was  delivered  from  his  imprisonment,  and  dis- 
charged trom  the  accusation  the  Jews  brought  against 
him;  but  it  is  natural  to  suppose,  that  not  having  suf- 
ficient proof  of  what  they  alledged,  or  being  informetl 
that  the  crimes  they  accused  liim  of,  were  no  violations 
of  the  Roman  law,  they  durst  not  implead  him  before 
the  emperor,  and  so  permitted  him  to  be  discharged  of 
course:  but  by  whatever  means  he  procured  his  liber- 
ty, he  wrote  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  before  he  left 
Jtaly,  from  whence  he  dates  his  salutations  to  the  Jew- 
ish churches. 

It  is  necessary  to  observe,  that  the  principal  design 
pf  this  admirable  Epistle  is,  to  magnify  Christ  and 


212  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

the  religion  of  the  gospel,  above  Moses  and  the  Jew- 
ish economy,  in  order  to  establish  and  confirm  the  con- 
verted Jews  in  the  firm  belief  and  profession  ot  Chris- 
tianity, notwithstanding  the  trouble  and  persecutions 
that  would  certainly  attend  them.  Fie  therefore  re- 
presents our  Saviour  in  his  divine  nature,  as  far  supe- 
perior  to  all  angels,  and  all  created  being;  and  in  his 
mediatorial  capacity  as  a  greater  priest  than  Aaron, 
and  a  greater  king  and  priest  than  Melchisedec :  he 
shews  that  the  ceremonies,  the  sacrifices,  and  the  ob- 
servances of  the  law  could  have  no  virtue  in  them- 
selves, but  only  as  they  were  the  types  of  Jesus  Christ; 
and  being  now  accomplished  in  his  person,  were  fin- 
ally and  totally  abolished:  he  insists  on  the  necessity 
of  faith;  and  by  the  examples  of  the  patriarchs  and 
prophets,  proves  that  justification  can  be  procured  no 
other  way,  than  by  the  merits  of  a  dying  Saviour:  and 
lastly,  he  mingles  many  excellent  precepts  for  the  re- 
gulation of  their  lives ;  exhortations  to  put  trust  and 
confidence  in  Christ,  in  all  their  sufferings;  and  strict 
cautions  against  apostacy  from  his  religion  in  the  hot- 
test persecutions  from  their  enemies. 

St.  Paul,  having  thus  discharged  his  ministry,  both 
by  preaching  and  writing  in  Italy,  prosecuted  his  long 
intended  journey  into  Spain,  accompanied  by  Timo- 
thy; and,  according  to  the  testimony  of  several  wri- 
ters crossed  the  sea,  and  preached  the  gospel  in  Bri- 
tain. What  success  he  had  in  these  western  parts,  is 
not  known;  he  however  continued  there  eight  or  nine 
months,  and  then  returned  again  to  the  East,  visited 
Sicily,  Greece,  and  Crete,  and  then  repaired  into  Ju- 
dea. 

How  long  he  continued  in  his  native  country,  is  un- 
known, no  further  mention  being  made  of  him,  till 
his  return  to  Rome,  which  was  probably  about  the 
eighth  or  ninth  year  of  Nero's  reign.  Here  he  met 
with  Peter,  and  was,  together  with  him,  thrown  into 
prison,  doubtless  in  the  general  prosecution  raised 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  ;il5 

against  the  Christians,  under  pretence  that  they  had 
set  fire  to  the  city:  but  besides  this  general,  there  were 
particular  reasons  for  his  imprisonment.  Some  of  the 
anpients  say,  he  was  engaged  with  St.  Peter  in  de- 
tecting the  impositions  of  Simon  Magus. 

St.  Chrysostom  tells  us,  that  Nero  was  highly  enrag- 
ed against  St.  Paul,  for  his  having  converted  one  of 
his  favourite  concubines  ;  and  the  apostle,  after  he  was 
thrown  into  prison,  persisting  to  persuade  that  lady  to 
continue  in  her  chaste  and  pious  resolutions,  Nero 
commanded  him  lo  be  put  to  death.  How  long  he 
continued  in  prison,  is  uncertain;  nor  do  we  know 
"whether  he  was  scourged  before  his  execution  :  he 
was  however  'allowed  the  privilege  of  a  Roman  citi- 
zen, and  therefore  beheaded. 

As  he  was  led  to  the  place  of  execution,  he  is  said 
to  have  converted  three  of  the  soldiers  sent  to  guard 
and  conduct  him,  and  who  soon  after  became  martyrs 
to  the  faith.  Being  come  to  the  place,  which  was  the 
Aquae  Salviee,  three  miles  from  Rome,  he  cheerfully, 
after  a  solemn  preparation,  gave  his  neck  to  the  fatal 
stroke;  and  from  this  vale  of  misery,  his  spirit  passed 
to  the  blissful  regions  of  immortality  to  the  kingdom 
of  his  beloved  Master,  the  great  Redeemer  of  the  hu- 
man race,  in  the  propagation  of  whose  gospel,  he  had 
so  long  and  faithfully  laboured. 

His  mortal  part  was  buried  in  the  Via  Ostiensis, 
about  two  miles  from  Rome;  and  about  the  year  317, 
Constantine  the  Great,  at  the  instance  of  Pope  Syl- 
vester, built  a  stately  church  over  his  grave,  adorned 
it  with  an  hundred  marble  columns  and  beautified  it 
with  the  most  exquisite  workmanship:  but  this  church 
being  thought  too  small  for  the  honour  of  so  great  an 
apostle,  Valentinian,  by  a  rescript  to  Saustius,  pra^fect 
of  the  city,  caused  it  to  be  taken  down,  and  a  much 
larger  structure  to  be  erected,  which  was  finished  after 
his  death  by  Theodosius^  and  further  beautified,  at 


2L4  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

the  persuasion  of  Leo,  bishop  of  Rome,  by  the  em- 
press Placida. 

According  to  Nicephorus,  St.  Paul  was  of  a  low 
and  small  stature,  somewhat  stooping ;  his  complexion 
was  fair,  his  countenance  grave,  his  head  small,  his 
eyes  sparkling,  his  nose  high  and  bending,  and  his  hair 
thkk  and  dark,  but  mixed  with  grey.  His  constitu- 
tion was  weak,  and  often  subject  to  distempers:  but 
how  mean  soever  the  cabinet  might  be,  there  was  a 
treasure  within,  precious  and  valuable,  as  will  suffi- 
ciently appear,  if  we  view  the  accomplishments  of 
his  mind. 

His  judgment  was  clear  and  solid,  bis  understand- 
ing quick  and  his  memory  was  strong  and  clear  ;  all 
which  was  greatly  improved  by  art,  and  the  advan- 
tages of  a  liberal  education.  The  schools  of  Tarsus 
and  Jerusalem  had  sharpened  his  discursive  faculty  by 
logic  and  the  arts  of  reasoning,  instructed  him  in  the 
institutions  of  philosophy,  and  adorned  his  mind  with 
every  kind  of  human  learning.  A  sufficient  proof, 
that  it  is  not  unlawful  to  bring  the  spoils  of  Egypt  in- 
to the  service  of  the  sanctuary ;  and  to  make  use  of 
the  advantages  of  foreign  studies  and   human   litera- 

T  T  • 

ture,  to  divine  and  excellent  purposes.  He  seems  m- 
deed  to  have  been  educated  purposely  to  qualify  him 
for  being  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  to  contend  with 
and  confute  the  grave  and  the  wise,  the  acute  and  the 
subtle,  the  sage  and  the  learned  of  the  heathen  world, 
and  to  wound  them  with  arrows  from  their  own  quiv^ 
ers.  He  seldom  made  use  of  learning  and  philosophy; 
it  being  more  agreeable  to  the  designs  of  the  gospel, 
to  confound,  by  the  plain  doctrine  of  the  cross,  the 
wisdom  and  learning  of  the  world. 

Though  these  were  great  accomplishments,  yet  they 
were  only  a  shadow  of  that  divine  temper  of  mind  he 
enjoyed,  and  which  discovered  itself  through  the  whole 
course  of  his  life.     He  was  humble  to  the  lowest  step 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  ^\s 

o^  abasement  and  condescension,  none  ever  thinking 
better  of  others,  or  more  meanly  of  himself.  And 
though  when  he  had  to  deal  with  envious  and  mali- 
cious adversaries,  who  endeavoured,  by  villifying  his 
person  to  obstruct  his  ministry,  he  knew  how  to  mag- 
nify  his  office,  and  to  let  them  know  that  he  was  not 
inferior  to  the  chiefest  of  the  apostles;  yet,  at  other 
times,  he  always  declared  to  the  world,  that  he  consi- 
dered himself  as  an  abortive,  or  an  untimely  birth,  as  tlie 
least  of  the  apostles,  not  meet  to  he  called  an  apostle ; 
and,  as  if  this  were  not  enough,  he  formed  a  vv'ord  on 
purpose  to  express  his  humility,  styling  himself  Ela- 
chistoteron,  less  than  the  least  of  the  saints ;  nay,  lh( 
very  chief  of  sinners. 

How  freely  and  frequently  does  he  confess,  that  be- 
fore his  conversion,  he  was  a  blasphemer,  a  persecutor, 
a  person  that  injured  both  God  and  man :  though  hon- 
oured with  the  highest  grace  and  favour,  taken  up  to 
an  immediate  converse  with  God  in  heaven,  yet  he 
never  shewed  the  least  loftiness  over  his  brethren;  he 
was  intrusted  with  the  greatest  power  and  authority 
in  the  church,  but  never  affected  to  govern  the  faith 
of  men;  he  only  endeavoured  to  be  an  helper  to  their 
joy.  How  studiously  did  he  decline  all  the  honours 
and  commendations  that  were  heaped  upon  him:  when 
some  in  the  church  of  Corinth  magnified  him,  and  un- 
der the  patronage  of  his  name,  began  to  set  up  for  a 
party,  he  severely  rebuked  them,  told  them  that  it  was 
Christ,  not  he  that  was  crucified  for  them;  that  they 
had  not  been  baptizied  in  his  name,  nor  did  he  remem- 
ber to  have  baptized  above  three  or  four  of  them,  and 
was  heartily  glad  he  had  no  oftener  performed  the  ce- 
remony, lest  a  foundation  might  have  been  laid,  from 
that  circumstance,  for  charging  him  with  Judaizing. 

St.  Paul's  temperance  and  sobriety  were  remarka- 
ble, for  he  often  abridged  himself  of  the  convenicncy 
of  lawful  and  necessary  accommodations:  his  hunger- 
ingsand  thirstings  were  frequent:  bv  which  means  he 


2.16  LIFE  OF  ST,  PAUL. 

reduced  the  extravagancy  of  the  sensual  appetites  to  a 
perfect  subjection  of  the  law  of  reason.  Hence  he  easily- 
got  above  the  world,  with  all  its  charms  and  frowns,  and 
his  mind  was  continually  conversant  in  heaven,  where 
his  thoughts  were  fixed,  and  whither  his  desires  always 
ascended.  What  he  taught  to  others,  he  practised  him- 
self; his  conversation  was  in  heaven,  and  his  desires 
were  to  depart,  and  to  be  with  Christ.  This  world 
neither  arrested  his  affection  nor  disturbed  his  fears  ; 
he  was  neither  pleased  with  its  applauses,  nor  terrified 
with  its  threatening  :  he  studied  not  to  please  men,  nor 
valued  the  censures  they  passed  upon  him  ;  he  was  not 
greedy  of  a  great  estate,  titles  of  honour,  or  rich  pre- 
sents from  men ;  food  and  raiment  was  his  bill  of  fare^ 
and  more  than  this  he  never  cared  for ;  accounting, 
that  the  less  he  was  clogged  with  these  things  the  lighter 
he  should  pass  to  heaven,  especially  as  he  was  travel- 
ling through  a  world  over- run  with  trouble  and  per- 
secutions. And  hence  it  is  very  probable,  that  he  al- 
ways led  a  single  life,  though  some  of  the  ancients  rank 
him  amongst  those  apostles  that  were  married. 

No  less  exemplary  was  his  kindness  and  chai'ity  ;  for 
he  had  a  compassionate  tenderness  for  the  poor,  and  a 
quick  sense  of  the  wants  of  others.  To  which  church  so- 
ever he  came,  it  was  always  one  of  his  first  cares  to  make 
provision  for  the  poor  and  to  stir  up  the  bounty  of  the 
rich  and  wealthy  ;  nay,  he  himself  worked  often  with 
his  own  hands,  not  only  to  maintain  himself,  but  also 
to  help  and  relieve  them  ;  but  his  charity  to  the  souls 
of  men  was  infinitely  greater,  fearing  no  angers,  refusing 
no  labours,  going  through  good  and  evil  report,  that  he 
might  gain  men  over  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth, 
bring  them  out  of  the  crooked  paths  of  vice  and  idola- 
try and  place  them  in  the  straight  way  that  leadeth  to 
life  eternal :  nay,  so  insatiable  was  his  thirst  for  the 
good  of  souls,  that  he  affirms  that  he  would  sooner  him- 
self be  accursed  from  Christ,  than  that  his,  country- 
men should  miscarry.  And  as  he  was  infinitely  soli- 
citous to  gain  them  over  to  the  religion  of  the  Son  of 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  717 

God,  so  he  was  equally  careful  to  keep  them  from  being 
seduced  from  it ;  ready  to  suspect  every  thini^  that 
might  corrupt  their  minds  from  the  simplicity  that  is  in 
Christ  :  I  am  jealous  over  youy  says  he  to  the  church 
of  Corinth,  xvit/i  a  godly  jealousy :  an  affection  of  all 
others  the  most  active  and  vigilant,  and  which  inspires 
men  with  the  most  passionate  care  and  concern  for  the 
good  of  those  for  whom  they  have  the  highest  degree 
of  love  and  kindness. 

Nor  was  his  cliarity  to  men  greater  than  his  zeal  for 
God,  labouring  with  all  his  might  to  promote  the  hon- 
our of  his  master.  How  remarkable  zealous  was  he 
while  he  continued  a  member  of  the  Jewish  religion,  of 
the  tradition  of  the  father !  How  earnest  to  vindicate 
and  assert  the  divinity  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  and 
to  persecute  all  who  were  of  a  contrary  faith,  even  to 
rage  and  madness  ?  And  when  his  zeal  was  afterwards 
turned  into  &.  right  channel,  it  ran  with  swift  current, 
carrying  him  out  against  all  opposition,  to  vanquish  the 
kingdom  and  the  powers  of  darkness,  to  beat  down  idola- 
try, and  plant  the  world  with  the  right  apprehensions  of 
God,  and  the  true  knowledge  of  religion.  When  at 
Athens  he  saw  them  involved  in  the  grossest  supersti- 
tion and  idolatry,  and  giving  the  honoiir  that  was  due 
to  God  alone  to  statues  and  images,  this  fired  his  zeal> 
and  he  could  not  but  let  them  know  the  resentment  of 
his  mind,  and  how  greatly  they  dishonoured  God,  the 
great  maker  and  preserver  of  the  world.  This  zeal 
must  have  rendered  him  remarkably  diligent  and  in- 
dustrious in  the  execution  of  his  office,  warning,  reprov- 
ing, entreating,  persuading,  preaching  in  season  and  out 
of  season,  by  night  and  by  day,  by  sea  and  by  land:  he 
thought  no  pains  too  much  to  be  taken,  no  dangers  too 
great  to  be  overcome. 

For  thirty-five  years  after  his  conversion  he  seldom 
staid  long  in  one  place,  travelling  from  Jerusalem 
through  Arabia,  Asia,  and  Greece,  to  Illyricum,  to 
Rome,  and  to  the  utmost  bounds  of  the  Western  world, 

VOL.  ii.  r  '    F,  e 


^IB  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

preaching  the  gospel  of  CiiRist.  Running,  says  St. 
Jerom,  from  ocean  to  ocean,  like  the  sun  in  the  heavens, 
of  which  it  is  said,  his  circuit  is  from  the  one  end  of  the 
heavens  to  the  other,  sooner  wanting  ground  to  tread  on, 
than  a  desire  to  propagate  the  faith  of  Christ.  Nicepho- 
rus  compares  him  to  a  bird  in  the  air,  which  in  a  few  years 
Hew  round  the  world :  Isidore,  to  a  winged  husband- 
man, who  flew  from  place  to  place  to  cultivate  the  world 
with  the  most  exact  rules  and  institutions  of  life.  And 
while  the  other  apostles  confine  themselves,  as  it  were, 
to  one  spot,  choosing  this  or  that  particular  place  for 
their  ministr}',  St..  Paul  over-ran  the  whole  ^vorld  to 
its  utmost  bounds  and  corners,  planting  all  places  where 
he  came  with  the  divine  doctrines  of  the  gospel.  Nor 
in  this  course  was  he  tired  with  the  dangers  and  diffi- 
culties he  met  with,  the  troubles  and  oppositions  that 
were  raised  against  him  :  but  all  these  served  only 
to  reflect  a  greater  lustre  on  his  patience  ;  of  which  he 
was  a  most  eminent  pattern,  enduring  the  greatest  trou- 
bles and  persecutions,  with  a  patience  triumphant  and 
unconquerable. 

This  will  easily  appear  if  we  take  a  survey  of  what 
trials  and  sufferings  he  underwent ;  some  part  whei'tof 
are  thus  briefly  summed  up  by  himself:  l7i  labours  abun- 
dant, hi  stripes  above  measure^  in  prisons  frequent^  in 
deaths  oft ;  thrice  beaten  with  rods,  once  stoned,  thrice 
suffered  shipwreck,  a  night  and  a  day  in  the  deep:  injour- 
neyings  often,  in  perils  of  water^  in  perils  by  his  coun- 
trymen, in  perils  by  the  Heathen,  i?i  perils  in  the  city^ 
in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  in  the  sea,  in  perils 
amongst  false  brethren  :  in  rveariness,  in  painfulness,  in 
watchings  often,  in  hunger  and  thirst ;  in  fasting  soft  en. 
in  cold  and  nakedness ;  and  besides  those  things  that 
were  zvithout,  which  daily  came  upon  him,  the  care  of 
all  the  churches.  An  account,  though  very  great,  yet 
far  short  of  \^  hat  he  endured.  All  wliich  he  cheerfulh- 
underwent  with  a  soul  as  calm  and  serene  as  the  morn- 
ing sun  ;  no  malice  or  rage,  nor  fury  or  storms,  could 
rufllQ  or  discompose  his  spirit :  nay,  they  animated  hinr 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.  ^19 

to  rise  up  with  the  greater  eagerness  and  resolution  to 
perform  his  duty.  Could  all  the  powers  of  men  and 
devils,  spite  and  opposition,  torments  and  thrcatenings, 
ha\  e  been  able  to  baffle  him  out  of  that  religion  he  had 
embraced,  he  must  have  deserted  his  station  :  but  his 
soul  was  steeled  with  a  courage  and  resolution  that  was 
impenetrable  ;  and  on  which  no  temptation,  either  from 
hopes  or  fears,  could  make  imy  more  impression,  than 
an  arrow  jshot  against  a  wall  of  adamant. 

He  did  not  want  solicitations  bolii  from  Jews  and 
Gentiles;  and  might,  doubtless,  in  some  measure,  have 
made  his  own  terms,  would  he  have  been  false  to  his 
trust,  and  quitted  that  way  which  was  then  every  where 
.spoken  against.  But,  alas!  these  things  weighed  lit- 
tle with  our  apostle,  who  counted  not  his  life  dear  luito 
him^  so  that  he  might  finish  his  course  with  joy ^  and  the 
7ninistr2j  which  he  had  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  and 
therefore,  when  he  thought  himself  under  the  sentence 
of  death,  could  triumphantly  say,  I  have  fought  a  good 
fight ^  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith. 
In  short,  he  was  a  man  in  whom  the  divine  life  emi- 
nently displayed  itself ;  he  lived  piously  and  devoutly, 
soberly  and  temperately,  justly  and  righteously  ;  care- 
ful always  to  keep  a  conscience  void  of  offence  both  to- 
wards God  and  man,  I'his,  he  tells  us,  A\as  his  support 
under  all  his  sufferings  ;  this  the  foundation  of  his  con- 
fidence towards  God,  and  his  firm  hopes  of  happiness 
in  another  world.  This  is  our  rejoicing,  the  testimony 
of  our  conscience,  that  in  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity 
we  have  had  our  conversation  in  the  world,  ia  short, 
as  the  love  of  this  great  apostle  to  his  divine  Master 
jknew  no  bounds,  so  the  beauty  and  energy  of  his  wri- 
tings, as  well  as  his  suflerings  in  support  of  the  truth  lif 
iispoused  and  inculcated,  arc  beyond  example. 


IJFE  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  APOSTLE, 

Surnamed  the  Great, 

JL  HIS  apostle  was  a  native  of  Galilee,  born  in  all  pro- 
bability  either  at  Capernaum  or  Bethsaida,  as  he  was  a 
partner  with  Simon  Peter  in  the  fishing  trade.  The  epi^ 
thet  of  Great  was  given  him,  to  distinguish  him  from 
another  apostle  of  the  same  name. 

He  was  the  son  of  Zebedee,  a  fisherman,  who  kept 
several  servants  to  carry  on  his  trade,  and  therefore  must 
have  been  a  person  of  consequence  in  his  way.  His 
mother's  name  was  Mary ,  surnamed  Salome,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Cleopas,  and  sister,  or  rather  cousin-german  to 
Mary  the  mother  of  our  Lord;  so  that  he  had  the  hon- 
our of  being  a  near  relation  to  Christ  himself.  He 
was  brought  up  to  the  trade  of  his  father ;  a  mean  oc- 
cupation indeed,  in  the  eye  of  the  world,  but  no  em- 
ployment is  mean  that  is  honest  and  industrious;  and 
it  should  be  remembered  that  the  Son  of  God  him.self 
stooped  so  low,  as  to  become  the  reputed  son  of  a  car- 
penter, and  during  the  retirement  of  his  private  life,  la- 
boured himself  at  his  father's  trade ;  not  merely  devot- 
ing himself  to  contemplations,  nor  withdrawing  from 
all  useful  society  with  the  world,  and  hiding  himself  in 
the  solitudes  of  an  anchoret,  but  busying  himself  in 
an  active  course  of  life,  as  he  continually  went  about 
doing  good  to  the  souls  and  bodies  of  mankind. 

Not  the  least  discouraged  at  the  meanness  of  his  fii- 
ther's  trade,  St.  James  applied  himself  to  it  with  re- 
markable assiduity,  and  was  exercising  his  employ- 
ment when  the  Saviour  of  the  world  passing  by  the 
sea  of  Galilee,  saw  him  with  his  brother  in  the  ship, 
and  called  them  both  to  be  his  disciples.  Nor  was  the 
call  in  vain;  they  cheerfully  complied  with  it,  and  im- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  GREAT.  221 

mediately  left  all,  to  follow  him:  they  did  not  stay  to 
dispute  his  commands,  or  solicitously  inquire  into  the 
minute  consequences  of  the  undertaking,  the  troubles 
and  dangers  that  might  attend  this  new  employment; 
but  readily  delivered  themselves  up  to  perform  what- 
ever service  he  should  call  them  to. 

He  was  called  soon  after  this  from  the  station  of  an 
ordinary  disciple,  to  the  apostolical  office,  and  even  hon- 
oured with  some  particular  favours  beyond  most  of 
the  apostles,  being  one  of  the  three  whom  our  Lord 
made  choice  of,  as  his  companion  in  the  more  intimate 
transactions  of  his  life,  from  which  the  rest  were  ex- 
cluded. Thus,  with  Peter  and  his  brother  John,  he  at- 
tended his  Master  when  he  raised  the  daughter  of  Ja- 
irus  from  the  dead;  he  was  admitted  to  Christ's 
glorious  transfiguration  on  the  mount,  and  heard  the 
discourses  that  passed  between  him  and  the  great  min- 
isters from  the  courts  of  heaven :  and  when  the  holy 
Jesus  was  to  undergo  his  bitter  agony  in  the  garden, 
as  preparatory  sufferings  to  his  passion,  James  was 
one  of  tlie  three  taken  to  be  a  spectator  of  them. 

It  is  not  easy  to  determine  what  reasons  induced  the 
Redeemer  of  mankind  to  admit  those  three  apostles  to 
peculiar  acts  of  favour ;  though  he  doulDtless  did  it  for 
wise  and  proper  ends.  Whether  he  designed  these 
three  to  be  more  solemn  and  peculiar  witnesses  of  some 
remarkable  transactions  of  his  life  than  the  other  apos- 
tles ;  or  that  they  would  be  more  eminently  useful  and 
serviceable  in  some  parts  of  the  apostolic  office ;  or  to 
encourage  them  thereby  to  prepare  for  the  sufferings 
that  would  attend  them  in  the  ministry;  or  whether  he 
designed  them  for  some  more  eminent  kinds  of  mar- 
tyrdom than  the  rest  of  his  disciples. 

It  was  not  the  least  instance  of  particular  lionour  that 
our  Lord  conferred  on  these  apostles,  w  hen  he  called 
them  to  the  apostolate,  that  he  gave  them  a  new  name 
and  title.     A  thing  not  uncommon  of  old,  for  the  Al- 


222  JJFE  OF  ST.  JAiMES  THE  GREAT. 

mighty  often  imposed  new  names  on  persons,  when 
he  intended  Uiem  for  some  great  and  peculiar  services 
and  employments ;  instances  of  this  we  have  seen  ii;^ 
Abraham  and  Jacob.  Accordingly  our  Lord,  at  th^ 
election  of  these  three  apostles,  gave  them  new  names: 
Simon  lie  called  Feter^  or  a  rock,  and  James  and  John, 
Boanerges^  or  the  sons  of  thunder.  What  our  Lord 
intended  by  their  surnames  is  much  easier  to  conjec- 
ture than  determine;  some  think  it  was  given  them  on 
account  of  their  being  present  in  the  mount,  when  a 
voice  came  out  of  the  cloud,  saying,  This  is  my  belov- 
ed son,  he.  when  the  people  heard  the  same  voice  at 
another  time,  they  said  "  It  thundered."  But  this  ob- 
servation is  in  itself  very  inconsiderable,  because  it 
was  equally  applicable  to  Peter  as  to  them.  Others 
think  that  it  was  given  tliem  on  account  of  their  loud 
and  bold  speaking  the  gospel  to  the  world,  fearing  no 
threatenings,  despising  all  opposition,  and  going  on 
thundering  in  the  ears  of  a  drowsy  and  sleepy  world ; 
rousing  and  awakening  the  consciences  of  men  with  the 
earnestness  and  vehemence  of  their  preaching,  which 
resembled  thunder,  as  the  voice  of  God  powerfully 
shakes  the  natural  world,  and  breaks  in  pieces  the  ce- 
dars of  Lebanon.  Others  think  it  relates  to  the  doc- 
trines they  delivered,  teaching  the  great  mysteries  of 
the  gospel  in  a  more  profound  and  loftier  strain  than 
che  rest. 

How  far  the  latter  ophiion  might  be  true  with  regard 
to  St.  James,  the  scriptures  are  wholly  silent;  but  it  was 
certainly  verified  in  his  brother  John,  whose  gospel  is 
so  full  of  the  more  sublime  notions  and  mvsteries  of 
the  gospel  concerning  the  divinity,  pre-existence,  &c. 
of  Christ?  that  he  is  generally  affirmed  by  the  ancients 
to  thunder  rather  than  speak.  Perhaps  the  expressions 
may  denote  no  more  than  that  in  general  they  were  to 
be  prime  and  eminent  ministers,  in  this  new  state  of 
things;  the  introducing  the  gospel  or  evangelical  dis- 
pensation, being  called  ''  a  voice  shaking  the  heaven 
and  the  earth,"  and  therefore  exactlv  correspondent  to 


LlIiE  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  GREAT.  223 

die  native  importance  of  the  word,  signifying  an  earth- 
quake, or  a  vehement  commotion,  that  Uke  thunder, 
makes  an  alarming  noise. 

IIo^vever  this  be,  onr  blessed  Saviour  doubtless  by 
this  term  alluded  to  the  furious  and  resolute  disposi- 
tions of  these  two  brothers,  who  seem  to  have  been  of 
a  more  fiery  temper  than  the  rest  of  the  apostles,  of 
which  we  have  this  memorable  instance.  When  our 
Lord  was  determined  on  his  journey  to  Jerusalem,  he 
sent  some  of  his  disciples  before  him  to  make  prepara- 
tion for  his  coming;  but,  on  their  entering  a  village  of 
Samaria,  were  rudely  rejected,  from  the  old  grudge 
that  subsisted  between  the  Samaritans  and  the  Jews, 
and  because  our  Saviour,  by  going  up  to  Jerusalem, 
seemed  to. slight  their  place  of  worship  on  mount  Gar- 
izim. 

This  piece  of  rudeness  and  inhumanity  was  so  high- 
ly resented  by  St.  James  and  his  brother  John,  that  they 
came  to  Jesus,  desiring  to  know  if  he  would  not  imi- 
tate Elias,  by  calling  down  fire  from  heaven  to  consume 
this  barbarous,  unhospitable  people.  So  apt  are  men 
for  every  trifling  provocation  to  call  upon  heaven  to  re- 
venge them  on  the  aggressors,  according  to  the  extra- 
vap'ancies  of  their  own  unreasonable  passions !  But  the 
holy  Jesus  soon  convinced  them  of  their  mistake,  by 
telling  them,  that  lie  was  come  to  save  the  lives  of  the 
children  of  men,  and  not  to  destroy  them. 

We  have  no  account  from  sacred  history,  what  be 
came  of  St.  James  after  the  ascension  of  his  great  and 
beloved  Master.  Sophronius  tells  us,  that  he  preached 
to  the  dispersed  Jev/s,  that  is,  to  those  converts  who 
were  dispersed  after  the  death  of  Stephen.  The  Spa- 
nish writers  will  have  it,  that  after  preaching  the  gospel 
in  several  parts  of  Judea  and  Samaria,  he  visited  Spain, 
where  he  planted  Christianity,  and  appointed  some  se- 
lect disciples  to  perfect  what  he  had  begun;  but  if  we 
consider  tb.G  shortness  of  St.  James's  lite,  and  that  th^ 


221,  LIFE  OF  ST.  JAiMES  THE  GREAl*. 

apostles  continued  in  a  body  at  Jerusalem,  even  after 
the  dispersion  of  the  other  Christians,  we  shall  find  it 
difficult  to  allow  time  sufficient  for  so  tedious  and  dif- 
ficult a  voyage  as  that  was  in  those  early  ages ;  and  there- 
fore it  is  safest  to  confine  his  ministry  to  Judea  and  the 
countries  bordering  upon  it. 

We  learn  from  prophane  history,  that  Herod  Agrip-. 
pa,  son  of  Aristobulus  and  grand-son  of  Herod  the 
Great,  had  been  a  great  fitvourite  both  with  the  empe- 
ror Caligula  and  his  successor  Claudius,  who  conferred 
on  him  his  grandfather's  kingdoms,  and  sent  him  into 
Judea.  Herod  was  noble  and  generous,  prudent  and  pol- 
itic, thoroughly  versed  in  all  the  arts  and  intrigues  of  a 
court;  he  knew  how  to  oblige  his  enemies,  and  mollify 
or  avert  the  displeasure  of  the  emperor.  He  was  of  a 
courteous  and  affiible  disposition ;  but  at  the  same  time 
a  great  zealot  of  the  Jewish  religion,  and  a  very  accu- 
rate observer  of  the  Mosaic  law.  This  prince,  at  his 
arrival  in  his  new  kingdom,  thought  there  was  no  surer 
way  of  ingratiating  himself  into  the  favour  of  the  po- 
pulace, than  by  persecuting  the  Christians,  whom  he 
knew  the  Jews  detested.  Accordingly,  he  began  a  vi- 
olent persecution ;  but  the  commonality  being  too  mean 
a  sacrifice  to  satisfy  his  own  zeal,  and  favour  his  popu- 
lar designs,  he  laid  hands  on  St.  James,  whose  active 
temper  and  vigorous  manner  of  contendhig  for  the 
truth  and  excellency  of  the  Christian  religion  rendered 
him  a  proper  victim  at  this  time. 

The  same  zeal  which  animated  Herod  to  lay  hands  on 
St.  James,  also  prompted  him  to  pass  sentence  of  death 
on  him  immediately.  As  he  was  led  to  the  place  of 
execution,  the  officer  that  guarded  him  to  the  tribunal, 
or  rather  his  accuser,  having  been  converted  by  that 
remarkable  courage  and  constancy  shewn  by  the  apos- 
tle at  the  time  of  his  trial,  repented  of  what  he  had  done, 
came  and  fell  down  at  the  apostle's  feet,  and,  heartily 
begged  pardon  for  what  he  had  said  against  him.  The 
holy  man,  after  recovering  from  the  surprise,  tenderly 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JAMEh.  THE  Gt^EAT.  S1Z5 

embraced  him.  ^'  Peace,  said  he,  "  ni}^  son,  peace  be 
to  thee,  and  the  pardon  of  thy  faidts."  Upon  which  the 
officer  publicly  declared  himself  a  Christian,  and  both 
v/ere  beheaded  at  the  same  time.  Thus  fell  the  great 
apostle,  James,  the  protomartyr  of  the  apostles,  and 
the  first  of  that  number  that  gained  the  crown,  taking 
cheerfully  that  cup  of  which  he  had  long  since  told  hi;^ 
Lord  he  was  ready  to  drink* 

However,  the  divine  vengeance,  that  never  slcepsj 
tvould  not  suffer  the  death  of  this  innocent  and  righte- 
ous man  to  pass  long  unrevenged;  for  shortly  after  the 
martyrdom  of  St.  James,  Herod  removed  to  Cccsarea/ 
in  order  to  make  war  on  the  neicrhbourino:  Tvrians  and 
Sidonians;  and  while  he  continued  in  this  city,  hepra- 
claimed  solemn  fights  and  festival  entertainments  to  be 
held  in  honour  of  Caesar  to  which  there  Hocked  a  pro- 
digious confluence  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the 
adjacent  parts.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  second 
day,  he  came  w^ith  great  state  into  the  theatre,  to  make 
an  oration  to  the  people ;  and  being  clothed  in  a  robe 
euriously  wrought  with  silver,  the  beams  of  the  sun 
were  reflected  from  it  with  such  lustre,  that  the  people 
cried  out,  that  it  was  some  deity  they  beheld ;  and  that 
he  who  spoke  to  them  must  be  something  above  t\\'(r> 
common  standard  of  humanity. 

This  impious  aj)plause  Herod  received  without  the 
least  token  of  dislike,  or  sense  of  the  injury  that  was 
done  by  it  to  the  Supreme  Being*  But  a  sudden  ac- 
cident changed  the  scene,  and  turned  their  mirth  and 
rejoicing  into  melancholy  and  mourning;  for  Herod 
looking  up,  saw  an  owl  perched  upon  a  rope  over  hin 
Jiead,  which  he  considered  as  the  fatal  minister  of  his 
death ;  on  which  an  incurable  melanchol}^  seized  his 
mind,  and  the  most  exquisite  torments  his  bowels,  oc- 
casioned bv  those  worms  St.  Luke  mentions;  so  that 
turning  to  the  people,  he  cried  out,  "  Beliold  the  deity 
you  admired,  and  yourselves  evidently  convinced  of 
flattery  and  falsehood :  see  me  this  moment  condemnt^ii 
VOL.  ii,  V  f 


227  i.lI^E  OF  ST.  JAMES  TllE  GREAT. 

by  the  laws  of  fate  to  die,  whom  just  now  you  styled 
immortal."  He  was  removed  into  the  palace,  but  his 
pains  still  increased  upon  him;  and  thougli  the  people 
fasted,  and  offered  prayers  for  his  life  and  health,  yet 
his  acute  torments  prevailed^  and  after  five  days  put  a 
period  to  his  life. 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  APOSTLE, 

Sur named  the  Less^ 

3EFORE  we  enter  upon  the  life  of  this  apostle,  it 
wall  be  necessary  to  remove  some  difficulties  relating  to 
his  person.  It  has  been  doubted  by  some  whether  this 
was  the  same  with  that  St.  James,  who  was  afterwards 
bishop  of  Jerusalem,  two  of  his  name  being  mentioned  in 
the  sacred  writings,  namely,  St.  James  the  Great  and 
St.  James  the  Less,  both  apostles ;  the  ancients  mention 
a  third,  surnamed  the  Just,  which  they  will  have  to  be 
distinct  from  the  former,  and  bishop  of  Jerusalem  ;  but 
this  opinion  is  built  on  a  sandy  foundation ;  for  nothing 
is  plainer,  than  that  St.  James  the  apostle,  whom  St, 
Paul  calls  our  Lord''s  brother^  and  reckons  wdth  Peter 
and  John,  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  church,  was  the  same 
who  presided  among  the  apostles,  doubtless  by  virtue 
of  his  episcopal  office,  and  determined  the  causes  in  the 
synod  of  Jerusalem.  Nor  do  either  Clemens,  Alexan- 
drinus,  or  Eusebius,  mention  any  more  than  two,  St. 
James  slain  by  Herod,  and  St.  James  the  Just,  bishop 
of  Jerusalem,  whom  they  expressly  affirm  to  be  the* 
same  with  him  who  is  called  the  brother  of  our  Lord 
by  St.  Paul. 

The  difficulties  with  regard  to  this  person  being  thus 
removed,  we  shall  proceed  to  the  history  of  his  life. 
It  \s  reasonable  to  think  that  he  was  the  ^on  of  Joseph, 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  LESS.  nX 

afterwards  the  husband  of  Mary,  by  his  first  wife,  \\  horn 
St.  Jerom  styles  Escha,  and  adds,  that  she  was  the 
daughter  of  Aggi,  brother  to  Zacharias,  the  father  of 
John  the  Baptist:  hence  he  was  reputed  our  Lord's  bro- 
ther. We  iind  indeed  several  mentioned  as  the  bre- 
thren of  our  Saviour,  in  the  evangeHcal  history ;  but 
in  what  sense,  was  greatly  controverted  by  the  ancients. 
St.  Jerom,  St.  'Chrysostom,  and  some  others,  will  have 
them  to  have  been  so  called  from  their  being  the  sons 
of  Mary,  cousin-german,  or  according  to  the  Hebre^v 
idiom,  sister  to  the  Virgin  Mary:  but  Eusebius,  Epi- 
phanius,  imd  many  others  tell  us,  they  were  the  children 
of  Joseph  by  a  former  wife;  and  this  seems  most  natu- 
ral, and  best  agrees  with  what  the  evangelist  says  of  them, 
when  he  enumerates  the  questions  of  the  Jews:  Is  not 
this  the  carpente}-'' s  son?  Is  not  his  mother  called  Mary? 
And  his  brethren^  James,  and  loses,  and  SimeoJi  and 
Judas?  And  his  sisters,  are  they  not  all  with  us?  JVhence 
then  has  this  man  these  things  ?  By  which  it  is  plain  that 
the  Jev/s  understood  these  persons  not  to  be  Christ'^ 
kinsmen  only,  but  his  brethren )  the  same  Carpenter's 
sons  having  the  same  relation  to  him,  that  Jesus  him- 
self had:  indeed  they  had  more,  Christ  being  only 
his  reputed,  they  his  real  sons.  Upon  this  account  tlie 
blessed  Virgin  is  sometimes  called  the  mother  of  James 
and  Joses;  and  by  this  name  Ave  frequently  find  her 
mentioned  bv  the  evaui^elists  in  relatiniif  our  Eord'^ 
crucifixion :  and  tliough  she  was  only  mother-in-law  to 
St.  James,  yet  the  evangelists  might  choose  to  style  her 
so,  because  she  was  commonly  called  his  mother  after 
the  death  of  Joseph:  perhaps  she  herself  chose  tliat  ti- 
tie,  that  the  Son  of  God,  whom  as  a  virgin  she  had 
brought  into  the  Avorld,  might  be  the  better  concealed, 
and  less  exposed  to  the  envious  malice  of  the  Jews. 
To  this  it  may  be  added,  that  Josephus,  who  was  emi- 
nently skilled  in  matters  of  genealogy  and  descent,  ex- 
pressly says,  that  St.  Jaines  was  the  brother  of  Jesus 
Christ.  There  is  indeed,  one  objection  against  this^ 
namely,  that  he  Is  called  the  son  cf  Alpheus:  but  this 
may  mean  no  more,  than  either  that  Josepii  was  called 


n^  LIFE  OF  ST.  3AMES  THE  LESS, 

by  another  name,  a  thing  very  common  among  the 
Jews,  or  that  James  himself  was  a  disciple  of  some 
particular  sect  or  sj'nagogue  called  Alpheans,  there  be- 
ing  many  such  sects  about  this  time  amongst  the  Jews. 

The  sacred  history  is  silent  with  regard  to  tlie  place 
of  his  birth:  the  Jews,  in  their  Talmud,  call  him  a 
man  of  the  town  of  Sechania :  but  where  th?it  place  was 
situated  is  uncertain:  nor  is  it  known  what  his  particular 
way  or  course  of  life  was  before  he  was  called  to  the 
apostleship  :  the  sacred  writers  having  been  silent  with 
regard  to  this  particular,  mentioning  nothing  concern- 
ing him  during  the  life  of  our  Saviour. 

St.  James  was  honoured,  after  the  resurrection,  with 
a  particular  appearance  of  our  Lord  to  him,  which 
though  passed  over  in  silence  by  the  evangelists,  is  re- 
corded by  St.  Paul  and  St.  Jerom,  from  the  Hebrew 
gospel  of  the  Nazarenes,  which  contain  several  particu- 
lars omitted  by  the  evangelical  historians,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing relation  of  his  appearance  to  this  apostle.  St. 
James  had  solemnly  sworn,  that  from  the  time  he  had 
drank  of  the  cup  at  the  institution  of  the  supper,  he 
.would  eat  bread  no  more,  till  he  s'aw  the  Lord  risen  from 
the  dead;  our  Lord,  therefore,  being  returned  from  the 
grave,  came  and  appeared  to  him,  and  commanded 
bread  to  be  set  before  him,  v/hich  he  took,  blessed,  and 
brake,  and  gave  to  St.  James,  saying,  *^  Eat  thy  bread, 
aiiy  brother,  for  the  Son  of  man  is  truly  risen  from 
amongst  them  that  sleep.'* 

After  the  resurrection  of  our  Saviour,  iie  was  cho- 
sen bishop  of  Jerusalem,  being  preferred  before  all  the 
rest,  for  his  near  relation  to  Christ;  and  for  the  same 
reason,  we  find  Sim^eon  chosen  to  be  his  immediate  suc- 
cessor in  that  see,  because,  after  St.  James,  he  was  our 
Lord's  next  kinsman;  a  consideration  that  made  Pe- 
ter  and  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  though  they  had  been 
pcculiarlj^  honoured  by  our  Saviour,  not  to  contend  for 
|his  high  and  honourable  station,  but  freely  chose  JamQs 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  LESS.  229 

the  Just,  bishop  of  Jerusalem.  This  dignity  is  indeed 
said  by  some  of  the  ancients  to  have  been  conferred  on 
him  by  Christ,  who  constituted  him  bishop  at  tlic 
time  of  his  appearing  to  him :  but  it  is  safest  to  follow 
the  general  opinion,  that  this  dignity  was  conferred  up- 
on him  by  the  apostles;  though  possibly  they  might 
receive  some  intimations  from  our  Lord  concerning  it. 

St.  Paul,  when  he  came  to  Jerusalem,  after  his  con- 
version, applied  to  St.  James,  and  was  by  him  honoured 
with  the  right-hand  of  fellowship :  and  Peter  sent  to 
St.  James  the  news  of  his  miraculous  de|iverance  out 
of  prison,  .Go,  said  he,  shew  these  things  unto  James 
and  to  the  brethren;  that  is,  to  the  whole  church,  es- 
pecially to  St.  James  the  pastor  of  it  at  that  time. 

This  apostle  was  remarkably  active  in  the  synod  of 
Jerusalem,  v/hen  the  m-eat  cause  relatine^  to  the  Mosaic 
rites  was  debated;  for  the  cause  bemg  opened  by  Pe- 
ter, and  further  debated  by  Paul  and  Barnabas,  St. 
James  stood  up  to  pass  the  final  decretory  sentence, — 
That  the  Gentile  converts  w^ere  not  to  be  loaded  widi 
the  Jewish  yoke;  a  few  indifferent  rites  only,  being  or- 
dered to  be  observed  in  order  to  produce  an  accommo- 
dation between  the  Jews  and  Gentiles,  ushering  in  tliQ 
expedient  with  this  positive  conclusion,  "  This  is  my 
sentence  and  determination:"  a  circumstance  the  more 
considerable,  because  spoken  at  a  time  ^vhen  Peter  was 
in  council,  and  produced  not  the  least  intimation  of  the 
authority  afterwards  ascribed  to  him. 

St.  James  performed  every  part  of  this  charge  with 
all  possible  care  and  industry,  omitting  no  particular 
necessary  to  be  observed  by  a  diligent  and  faithful  guide 
of  souls;  strengthening  the  weak,  instructing  the  ig- 
norant, reducing  the  erroneous,  reproving  the  obstinate ; 
and,  by  the  constancy  of  his  sermons,  conquering  the 
stubbornness  of  that  perverse  and  refractory  generation 
he  had  to  deal  with,  many  of  the  nobler  and  better  soil 
being  persuaded  to  embrace  the  Christian  faith:  butfi 


sao  LIFE  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  LESS. 

a  person  so  careful,  so  successful  in  his  charge,  could 
not  fail  of  awakening  the  spite  and  malice  of  his  ene- 
mies ;  a  sort  of  men  of  whom  the  apostle  has  given  too 
true  a  character,  that  they  please  not  Gody  and  are  con- 
irarij  to  all  men. 

The  Jews  being  vexed  to  see  St.  Paul  had  escaped 
their  hands  by  appealing  unto  Ccesar,  their  malice  be- 
came as  great  and  insatiable  as  hell  itself,  so  that  as 
they  could  not  liave  their  revenge  on  St.  Paul,  they 
turned  their  fur}^  against  St.  James ;  but  being  unable 
to  eUtct  their  design  under  the  government  of  Festus, 
they  determined  to  attempt  it  under  the  procuratorship 
of  Albinus  his  successor,  Ananus  the  younger,  of  the 
sect  of  the  Sadducees,  being  high  priest.  They  were 
however  feai'ful  that  Albinus  would  oppose  their  design 
andtherefore  thought  it  the  surest  method  to  dispatch  him 
if  possible  before  the  new  governor  cu^rived.  In  order 
to  this,  a  council  was  summoned,  and  tlic  apostle  with 
others,  arraigned  and  condemned  as  violaters  of  the 
law  :  but  that  the  action  might  appear  more  plausible 
and  popular,  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  masters  in  the 
art  of  dissimulation,  endeavoured  to  ensnare  him,  they 
persuaded  him  that  they  placed  the  greatest  confidence 
in  him  ;  that  the  whole  nation,  as  well  as  themselves 
gave  hiwi  the  title  of  a  just  man,  and  one  that  was  no 
respector  of  persons ;  and  they  therefore  desired  he 
would  correct  the  error  and  false  opinion  the  people  had 
conceived  of  Jesus,  whom  they  considered  as  the 
Messiah,  and  take  this  opportunity  of  the  universal 
confluence  to  the  paschal  solemnity,  to  set  them  right 
in  their  opinions  in  this  particular,  and  that  he  v/ould 
go  with  them  to  the  top  of  the  temple,  where  he  might 
be  seen  and  heard  by  all  the  people. 

To  this  the  apostle  readily  consented,  and  being  ad» 
vantageously  placed  on  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  they  ad- 
dressed him  in  the  following  manner :  *'  Tell  us  O  Jus- 
tus! whom  we  have  all  the  reason  in  the  world  to  believe 
that  the  people  are  thus  generally  led  away  with  the  doc.. 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  LESS.  231 

trine  of  Jesus,  who  was  crucified  ;  tell  us,  what  is  this 
institution  of  the  crucified  Jesus  ?"  To  which  the  apos- 
tle answered  with  an  audible  voice  :  "  Why  do  you  en- 
quire of  Jesus,  the  Son  of  man  ?  He  sits  in  heaven  at 
the  ri^f^ht  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,  and  will  come 
again  in  the  clouds  of  heaven.  The  people  below  hear- 
ing this,  glorified  the  blessed  Jesus,  and  openly  pro- 
claimed, *'  Hosannato  the  Son  of  David." 

Hereupon  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  perceived  that 
they  had  acted  foolishly ;  that  instead  of  reclaiming,  the}' 
had  confirmed  the  people  in  their  error  ;  and  that  there 
w-^asno  way  leftbut  to  dispatch  him  immediately,  in  order 
to  warn  others,  by  his  sufferings,  not  to  believe  in  Je- 
sus of  Nazareth  ;  accordingly  they  suddenly  cried  out. 
That  Justus  himself  was  seduced  and  become  an  im- 
poster ;  and  immediately  threw  him  from  the  pinnacle 
on  which  he  stood,  into  the  court  below  ;  but  not  be- 
ing killed  on  the  spot,  he  recovered  himself  so  far  as  to 
rise  on  his  knees,  and  pray  fervently  to  heaven  for  his 
murderers  :  but  malice  is  too  diabolical  to  be  pacified 
with  kindness  or  satisfied  with  cruelty  ;  little  portions 
of  revenge  serve  only  to  enllame  it,  and  rouse  it  up  to 
greater  acts  of  cruelty.  Accordingly,  his  enemies,  vexed 
that  they  had  not  fully  accomplished  their  work,  poured 
a  shower  of  stones  upon  him,  while  he  was  imploring 
their  forgiveness  at  the  throne  of  grace  ;  and  one  of 
them,  more  merciful  than  the  rest,  with  a  fuller's  club 
put  an  end  to  his  misery. 

This  great  and  good  num  thus  finished  hi:;  coun;e 
in  the  ninetv- sixth  vear  of  his  -^q-c,  and  about  tv/cntv- 
four  years  after  oiu'  blessed  Saviour's  ascension  into 
heaven.  His  death  \vas  lamented  by  all  good  men,  even 
by  the  sober  and  just  persons  amongst  tlie  Jews  them- 
selves, as  Josephus  himself  confesses.  Ke  was  buried 
according  to  Gregory  of  Tours,  on  Mount  Olivet,  in  a 
tomb  he  had  built  for  himself,  and  in  which  he  had  bu- 
ried Zazharias  and  Old  Simeon.  Heiessipus  savs,  he 
^*tis  buried  in  the  court  of  the  temple,  where  he  suffered 


5J32  LIFE  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  LESS* 

martyrdom,  and  that  a  monument  was  there  erected  to 
his  memory  :  but  the  former  seems  more  agreeable  to 
reason  ;  for  the  Jews  very  rarely  buried  any  person  in 
the  city,  much  less  in  the  courts  of  the  temple ;  and 
therefore  it  is  not  natural  to  think  they  would  permit 
that  honour  to  be  paid  to  him  they  so  lately  put  to  death 
as  an  impostor  and  deceiver. 

St.  James  was  a  man  of  exemplary  piety  and  devo- 
tion,  educated  under  the  strictest  rules  and  institutions 
of  religion,  a  priest  of  the  ancient  order  of  the  RechabiteSy 
or  rather  as  Epiphanius  conjectures,  according  to  the 
most  ancient  oi'der  and  form  of  priesthood,  when  the 
sacerdotal  office  was  the  prerogative  of  the  first-born ; 
but  whether  this  kind  of  priesthood  was  at  any  time  ob- 
served under  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  we  are  no  where 
told  in  Sacred  Writ ;  but  however  that  be,it  is  certain 
that  he  had  the  privilege  of  entering  the  sanctuary,  or 
holy  place,  when  he  pleased,  though  none  but  priests  of 
the  order  of  Aaron  were  permitted  to  enter  there  besides 
himself.  Prayer  was  his  constant  business  and  delight ; 
he  seemed  to  live  upon  it,  and  to  have  continually  his 
conversation  in  heaven  ;  and  therefore,  used  constantly 
to  repair  into  the  temple  to  pray,  w  hich  he  always  per- 
formed kneeling,  and  with  the  greatest  reverence,  till 
by  his  daily  devotions,  his  knees  were  become  hard  and 
callous  like  those  of  a  camel.  And  he  who  has  told  us^ 
Tliat  the  prayer  of  a  righteous  manavaileth  much^  found 
it  so  by  his  own  experience,  heaven  lending  a  more  im- 
mediate ear  to  his  petitions ;  so  that  in  a  time  of  i^e- 
markable  drought,  on  his  praying  for  rain,  the  clouds 
melted  into  fruitful  showers,  and  relieved  the  necessi- 
ties of  the  people. 

His  charity  towards  men  was  not  less  singular  than 
his  piety  towards  God ;  he  did  good  to  all,  watched 
over  the  souls  of  men,  and  studied  to  advance  their 
eternal  welfare  ;  his  daily  errand  into  the  temple  was  to 
pray  for  the  happiness  of  the  people,  and  that  God  would. 
\iot  severely  I'eckcn  ^vith  them  ;  he  could  forgive  hi5> 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  LESS.  232 

most  inveterate  enemies,  and  overcome  evil  with  good : 
w^hen  thrown  from  the  top  of  the  temple,  he  miide 
use  of  his  latest  breath  in  sending  up  petitions  to  hea- 
ven for  the  pardon  of  his  murderers,  "  I  beseech  thee, 
O  Almighty  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do,'* 

This  apostle  was  of  a  remarkable  meek  and  humble 
temper,  honouring  what  was  excellent  in  others,  con- 
cealing what  was  valuable  in  himself :  neither  the  emi- 
nency  of  his  relation  to  the  blessed  Jesus,  nor  the  dig- 
nity of  the  place  he  so  worthily  filled  could  induce  him 
to  entertain  lofty  thoughts  of  himself  above  the  rest  of 
his  brethren  ;  on  the  contrary  he  strove  to  conceal 
whatever  might  place  him  in  a  higher  rank  than  the 
other  disciples  of  the  Lord  of  glory.  Though  he  was 
brother  to  the  Redeemer  of  mankind  he  styles  himself 
only  the  servant  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  not  so 
much  as  mentioning  his  being  an  apostle  of  his  divine 
Master. 

He  was  a  person  of  extraordinary  temper&:icc, 
wholly  abstaining  from  fiesh,  drinking  neither  wine 
nor  strong  drink,  and  never  using  the  bath.  His  holy 
and  mortjfied  mind  was  contented  with  the  meanest 
accommodations ;  he  went  barefoot,  and  never  wore 
any  other  than  linen  garments.  He  lived  indeed  after 
the  strictest  rules  of  the  Nazarite  order ;  and  as  the 
mitre  he  wore  on  his  head  evinced  his  priesthood, 
■'.vhich  was  rather  from  Melchizedeck  than  Aaron;  so 
his  never  shaving  his  head,  or  using  any  ointments,  his 
habit  and  diet,  and  the  great  severity  of  his  life,  shew- 
ed him  to  belong  to  the  Nazarite  institution,  to  which 
he  was  consecrated,  even  from  his  mother's  womb. 
A  man  of  so  divine  a  temper,  that  he  was  at  once  the 
love  and  wonder  of  his  age  ;  and  from  the  reputation 
of  his  holy  and  religious  life,  was  styled  James  the  Jiisf, 
He  was  indeed  the  safety  and  happiness  of  the  nation, 
which  was  reckoned  to  depend  upon  his  prayers  and 
interest  with  heaven;  and  hence  he  acquired  the  title 

VOL.  ii*  c  g 


mi  LIFE  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  LESS. 

o^  Oblias,  or  OxUamt  the  defence  and  fortress  of  the 
pedple ;  indicating,  that  when  he  was  no  more,  their 
castles  would  be  dismantled  and  their  strength  laid 
level  with  the  ground  :  and  so  indeed  it  proved  ;  for 
a  few  years  after  his  death,  the  Roman  army  broke  in 
upon  them,  and  filled  the  country  with  blood  and 
slaughter.  It  is  indeed  no  wonder  that  the  judgments 
of  the  Almighty,  like  a  flood,  should  come  rolling  in 
upon  a  nation,  when  the  sluices  are  plucked  up,  and 
Moses  taken  away  that  stood  in  the  gap  to  oppose 
them.  In  short,  St.  James  was  the  delight  of  all  good 
men,  and  in  so  great  favour  and  estimation  with  the 
people,  that  they  used  to  flock  atter  him,  and  strive 
who  should  touch,  if  it  were  only  the  border  of  his 
garment;  his  very  episcopal  chair,  as  Eusebius  informs 
us,  wherein  he  used  to  sit,  was  carefully  preserved^ 
and  had  a  kind  of  veneration  paid  it,  even  in  his  time. 
He., was  beloved  not  only  by  his  friends,  but  also  by 
his  enemies,  and  the  Jews  themselves  mention  St. 
James  in  their  Talmud,  as  a  person  who  wrought  mir- 
acles in  the  name  of  Jesus  his  Master  ;  and  the  wisest 
of  t^em  considered  his  martyrdom  as  the  principal 
cause  of  all  those  calamities  that  soon  after  flowed  in 
upon  them.  Josephus  in  particular  reckons  the  death 
of  St.  James,  as  the  action  that  more  immediately 
roused  the  divine  vengeance,  and  hastened  the  univer- 
sal ruin  of  that  nation  by  the  Roman  armies. 

This  apostle  wTote  only  one  epistle,  probably  not 
Jong  before  his  martyrdom,  as  appears  from  some  pas- 
sages in  it  relating  to  die  near  approach  of  the  destruc* 
tion  of  the  Jews  :  he  directed  it  to  the  Jewish  converts 
dispersed  up  and  down  those  eastern  countries,  to  com- 
fort them  under  their  sufferings,  and  confirm  them 
against  error  :  he  saw  a  great  degeneracy  of  manners 
coming  on,  and  that  the  purity  of  the  Christian  faith 
began  to  be  undermined  by  the  doctrines  and  practices 
of  the  Gnostics,  who,  under  pretence  of  zeal,  for  the 
legal  rites, generally  mixed  themselves  with  the  Jews; 
He  beheld  libertinism  flowing  in  apace,  and  the  way 


LIFE  OF  ST.  TETER.  235 

to  heaven  made  soft  and  easy,  men  declaiming  against 
§ood  works  as  useless  and  unnecessary,  and  asserting 
that  a  naked  beHefwas  sufficient  to  salvation.  These 
doctrines  the  apostle  opposes,  presses  the  purity,  pa- 
tience, charity,  and  all  the  virtues  of  a  good  life  ;  and 
by  undeniable  arguments  proves,  that  such  a  faith 
alone,  which  has  Christ  for  its  object,  and  vyorks  by 
Jove  and  holiness,  can  justify  us  before  God,  and  pro- 
cure our  admittance  into  the  celestial  kingdom  of  eter- 
nal ^lorv. 


THE  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER, 

TJie  Apostle  to  the  Jeius, 

A  HIS  remarkable  apostle  and  disciple  of  our  blessed 
Lord  and  Saviour  was  born  at  Bethsaida,  a  city  of 
Galilee,  situate  on  the  banks  of  the  lake  of  Genesa- 
reth,  called  also  the  sea  of  Galilee,  from  its  being 
situated  in  that  country;  and  the  lake  of  Tiberias,  from 
that  city  being  built  on  its  banks:  but  the  particular 
time  of  this  great  apostle's  birth  cannot  be  known  ; 
the  evangelists  and  other  wTiters  among  the  primitive 
Christians,  having  been  silent  with  regard  to  this  par- 
ticular. It  is,  however,  pretty  certain,  that  he  was  at 
least  ten  years  older  than  his  Master;  the  circumstan- 
ces of  his  being  married,  and  in  a  settled  coarse  of  life, 
when  he  became  a  follower  of  the  great  Messiah,  and 
that  authority  and  respect  the  gravity  of  his  person 
procured  him  among  the  rest  of  the  apostles,  sufficient- 
ly declare  this  conjecture  to  be  very  far  from  being 
improbable. 


St.  Peter  being  a  descendant  of  Abraham,  was  cir- 
cumcised according  to  the  rites  of  the  Mosaic  law,  and 
called  by  his  parents,  Simon  or  Simeon,  a  name  at  that 
time  common  among  the  Jews  :  but  after  his  becom- 
ing a  disciple  of  the  blessed  Jesus:  the  additional 
ritJe  of  Cephas  was  conferred  upon  him  by  his  Master 


J36  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

to  denote  the  firmness  of  his  faith  ;  the  word  Cephas 
in  the  Syriac,  the  common  language  of  the  Jews  at  that 
time,  signifying  stone  or  rock  :  and  hence  he  is  called 
in  Greek  PetroSi  and  by  us  Peter,  which  appellation 
bears  the  same  meaning. 

The  evangelists  have  also  been  silent  with  regard 
to  the  parents  of  St.  Peter,  except  in  telling  us  that  his 
father's  name  was  Jonah,  probably  a  fisherman  of  Beth- 
saida :  but  whatever  was  his  trade  he  was  highly  ho- 
noured by  our  blessed  Saviour,  who  chose  two  of  his 
sons,  Andrew  and  Peter,  to  be  his  apostles,  and  preach- 
ers of  the  glad-tidings  of  salvation  to  mankind. 

While  young,  St.  Peter  was  brought  up  to  the  trade 
pf  tishing  on  the  lake  of  Bethsaida,  famous  for  differ- 
ent kinds  offish,  which  excelled  all  others  in  the  fine- 
ness of  the  taste.  Here  he  closely  followed  this  trade  : 
but  afterwards  removed  to  Capernaum,  probably  on 
his  being  married,  where  he  settled  ;  for  we  find  he 
had  a  house  there  when  our  Saviour  began  his  public 
ministry,  and  there  he  paid  tribute.  Nicephorus  tells 
us,  that  Helen,  the  mother  of  Constantine,  erected  a 
beautiful  church  over  the  ruins  of  St.  Peter's  house,  in 
honour  of  him. 

The  town  of  Capernaum  was  as  well  situated  as 
Bethsaida,  for  the  carrying  on  his  trade,  standing  at 
the  influx  of  the  river  Jordan  into  the  sea  of  Galilee, 
and  w^here  he  might,  with  equal  advantage,  reap  the 
fruits  of  an  honest  and  industrious  diligence.  The  bu- 
siness of  St.  Peter  was,  we  confess,  both  mean  and  ser- 
vile :  it  exposed  him  to  all  the  injuries  of  the  weather, 
^  the  tempestuousness  of  the  sea,  and  the  darkness  and 
horror  of  the  night,  and  all  to  acquire  a  mean  live- 
lihood for  himself  and  his  family  ;  but  meanness  is  no 
exception  to  the  Almighty  ;  the  poor,  if  virtuous,  are 
as  dear  to  heaven  as  the  wealthy,  the  great  and  the 
powerful :  the  beggar  and  the  monarch  are  equally 
regarded  by  the  great  parent  of  the  human  race,  with 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER.  237 

whom  there  is  no  respect  of  persons ;  and  who  is  the 
rewarder  of  all  that  diligently  seek  him. 

Here  we  cannot  help  observing^  the  wise  and  ad- 
mirable methods  made  use  of  by  Divine  Providence, 
in  making  choice  of  such  mean  and  unlikely  instru- 
ments in  planting  and  propagating  the  christian  reli- 
crion  in  the  world:  men  who  were  destitute  of  every 
advantage  ot  education,  and  brought  up  to  the  mean- 
est employments,  were  chosen  to  confound  the  wise, 
and  overturn  the  learning  of  the  prudent.  Such  were 
the  persons  whom  the  Almighty  sent  to  propagate  the 
religion  of  his  Son;  to  silence  the  wise,  the  scribe, 
and  the  disputer  of  this  world,  and  to  make  foolish 
the  wisdom  of  thjs  earth:  for  though  the  Jews  requir- 
ed a  sign,  and  the  Greeks  sought  after  wisdom ;  though 
the  preaching  of  a  crucified  Saviour  was  a  scandal  to 
the  former,  and  foolishness  to  the  learned  latter;  yet  by 
this  foolishness  of  preaching,  God  was  pleased  to  save 
them  that  believed ;  and,  in  the  event,  made  it  appear, 
that  the  foolishness  of  God  Is  iviser  than  men,  and  the 
weakness  of  God  is  stronger  than  men ;  that  so  the 
honour  of  all  may  redound  to  himself,  that  no  flesh 
should  glory  in  his  presence,  but  he  that  glorieth,  should 
glory  in  the  Lord,  to  whom  alone  all  honour  is  due. 

We  are  not  told  of  what  sect  St.  Peter  was,  before  he 
became  a  follower  of  the  blessed  Jesus;  but  it  is  high- 
ly probable  that  he  was  a  disciple  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist. We  know  that  his  brother  Andrew  was  a  fol- 
lower of  that  great  preacher  of  repentance  ;  and  it  is 
very  unlikely  that  he,  who  was  so  ready  to  carry  his 
brother  the  early  tidings  of  the  Messiah,  that  the  Son 
of  Righteousness  was  already  risen  in  these  parts, 
should  not  be  equally  solicitous  to  bring  him  under 
the  discipline  and  influence  of  John  the  Baptist,  the 
day-star  which  appeared  to  usher  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Son  of  God :  besides,  Peter's  great  read- 
iness and  curiosity  at  the  first  news  of  Christ's  ap-. 
peering,  to  conie  to  him  and  converse  with  him,  shews 


238  JJFE  OF  ST.  PETEH. 

that  his  expectations  had  been  awakened,  and  somp 
glimmering  rays  of  hope  conveyed  to  him  by  the 
preaching  and  ministry  of  John,  who  was  the  voice  of 
one  crying  in  the  zvilder?iess.  Prepare  ye  the  xvay  of  the 
Lord,  7nakc  his  paths  straight. 

i  Whether  Peter  was  or  was  not  a  disciple  of  John 
the  Baptist,  he  became  acquainted  with  the  immacu- 
Jate  Lamb  of  God  in  the  following  manner:  The  bless- 
ed Jesus,  liaving  spent  thirty  years  in  the  solitude  of 
a  private  life,  had  lately  been  baptised  by  John  in 
Jordan,  and  there  owned  by  the  solemn  attestation  of 
heaven  to  be  the  Son  of  God;  whereupon  he  was  im- 
mediately hurried  into  the  wilderness,  and  there  for 
forty  days  maintained  a  personal  contest  with  the  De- 
vil, but  having  conquered  this  great  enemy  of  man- 
kind, he  returned  to  Bethabara  beyond  Jordan,  where 
John  was  baptising  his  proselytes,  and  endeavouring 
to  answer  the  Jews,  who  had  sent  a  deputation  to  him 
to  enquire  concerning  the  new  Messiah  that  appeared 
among  them.  To  satisfy  these  curious  inquiries  of 
Israel,  John  faithfully  related  every  thing  he  knew 
concerning  him,  gave  him  the  greatest  character,  and 
soon  after  pointed  him  out  to  his  disciples;  upon  which 
two  of  them  presently  followed  the  great  Redeemer 
of  mankind,  one  of  which  was  Andrew,  Simon's  bro- 
ther. They  canie  to  him  towards  evening,  and  in  all 
probability  stayed  with  him  the  whole  night,  during 
which  time  Andrew  had  an  opportunity  of  informing 
himself,  and  of  satisfying  his  mos.t  anxious  scruples. 

He  did  not  long  conceal  the  joyful  discovery  he  had 
made;  for  early  in  the  morning  he  hastened  to  ac- 
•  quaint  his  brother  Simon  that  he  had  found  the  Mes- 
siah. It  is  not  enough  to  be  happy  alone;  religion  is 
a  communicative  principle,  that  like  the  circles  in  the 
water,  delights  to  multiply  itself,  and  to  diffuse  its 
influences  all  around,  especially  on  those  whom  nature 
has  placed  nearest  to  us.  ''  I  have  (said  he  with  rap- 
ture to  his  brother)  found  that  eminent  person  §o  long 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER.  235 

and  signally  foretold  by  the  prophets,  and  whom  all 
the  devout  and  pious  amongst  the  sons  of  Jacob  so 
earnestly  expected  to  appear.'* 

St.  Peter,  who  was  one  of  those  who  >vaited  for 
Redemption  in  Israel,  ravished  with  joyful  news,  and 
impatient  of  delay,  presently  followed  his  brother  to 
the  place;  and,  on  his  arrival,  our  blessed  Saviour  im- 
mediately gave  him  a  proof  of  his  divinity,  saluting; 
him  at  first  sight  by  his  name,  and  telling  him  both 
who  he  was,  his  name,  and  kindred,  and  what  title 
should  soon  be  conferred  upon  him  by  the  authority  ot 
his  Master. 

Whether  these  two  sons  of  Jonah  constantly  attend- 
ed in  person  from  that  time  on  the  great  Redeemer  ot 
mankind,  and  became  his  disciples,  the  sacred  history 
does  not  mention.  It  is  however  probable,  that  they 
stayed  with  him  some  time,  till  they  Vvcre  instructed  in 
the  first  rudiments  of  his  doctrine,  and  then,  by  the 
leave  of  their  great  and  benevolent  Master,  returned 
to  their  families  and  to  their  callings;  for  it  is  reason- 
able to  suppose,  that  the  blessed  Jesus  was  not  at  this 
time  willing  to  awaken  the  jealousy  of  the  rulers  ot 
Israel,  and  the  suspicion  of  tlie  Romans,  by  a  nume- 
rous retinue^  and  therefore  dismissed  his  disciples., 
amongst  the  rest  Andrew  and  Peter,  who  returned  to 
their  trade  of  fishing  on  the  lake,  where  they  were  af- 
terwards found  by  our  blessed  Redeemer. 

Our  Lord  had  now  more  than  a  year  entered  on  hfi: 
public  ministry,  going  into  every  part  of  the  country, 
to  seek  opportunities  of  doing  good  to  the  children  oT 
men;  so  that  by  the  constancy  of  his  preaching,and 
the  reputation  of  his  miracles,  his  fame  was  spi'tad 
throughout  all  Judea,  and  multitudes  of  people  Hock- 
ed to  him  from  all  parts  to  hear  his  doctrine,  and  be 
spectators  of  his  mighty  works.  And  surely  it  is  no 
wonder  that  the  parched  and  barren  earth,  thirsted  for 
the  kindly  dews  and  showers  of  heaven,  to  retresh  it. 


no  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

In  order  to  avoid  this  prodigious  throng  of  people, 
our  great  Redeemer  often  retired  to  some  solitary- 
place,  to  indulge  the  privacies  of  contemplation:  in 
one  of  these  retreats  on  the  banks  of  the  sea  of  Gali- 
lee, the  multitude  found  him  out,  and  ran  to  him  from 
the  city.  Our  Saviour,  therefore,  to  avoid  the  crowd, 
stepped  into  a  fishing-boat  which  lay  near  the  shore, 
and  belonged  to  Simon  Peter,  who,  together  with  his 
companions  were  on  shore  drying  their  nets,  after  an 
unsuccessful  night  spent  in  toil  and  labour.  The  bless- 
ed Jesus,  w^ho  might  have  commanded,  was  pleased 
to  entreat  Peter,  who  now  returned  to  his  boat,  to 
thrust  off  a  little  from  the  land,  that  he  might  instruct 
the  people,  who  were  gathered  in  prodigious  crowds 
on  the  borders  of  the  lake,  to  hear  him. 

St.  Peter  gladly  complied  with  the  request  of  his 
Master,  who  delivered  his  heavenly  doctrine  to  the 
people  on  shore.  As  soon  as  he  had  ended  his  dis- 
course, he  resolved  to  seal  his  miracles,  that  the  people 
might  be  persuaded  he  was  a  teacher  comt  Jrom  God; 
accordingly,  he  ordered  Simon  to  row  further  from 
the  shore,  and  cast  his  net  into  the  sea.  To  which  Si- 
nfion  answered,  that  they  had  laboured  the  whole  pre- 
ceding night,  and  had  taken  nothing;  and  if  they 
could  not  then  succeed,  there  was  little  hopes  of  it 
now,  as  the  day  was  far  less  proper  for  fishing  than 
the  night :  but  as  his  Master  was  pleased  to  command, 
he  would  readily  obey;  and,  accordingly,  he  letdown 
his  net,  when,  to  the  astonishment  both  of  him  and 
his  companions,  so  great  a  multitude  of  fishes  were 
enclosed,  that  they  were  obliged  to  call  their  partners 
to  their  assistance. 

Amazed  at  this  miraculous  draught  of  fishes,  Simon 
Peter,  in  an  extacy  of  admiration,  blended  with  awe 
and  humility,  fell  prostrate  at  his  Master's  feet,  ac- 
knowledging himself  a  vile  and  sinful  person,  and 
thinking  himself  unworthy  of  being  admitted  into  the 
presence  of  a  person  so  immediately  sent  from  God; 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER  241 

but  the  compassionate  Son  of  the  Most  High  kindly  re^ 
moved  his  fears,  telUnghim  that  this  miracle  was  wrought 
to  confirm  his  faith,  and  to  indicate  to  him,  that  the  Al- 
mighty had  appointed  a  more  noble  employment  for 
him,  that  of  saving  the  souls  of  the  children  of  men. 
From  this  time  Peter  and  his  companions  became  the 
inseparable  and  constant  disciples  of  the  great  Messiah, 
living  under  the  rules  of  his  institutions  and  discipline. 

,  Our  blessed  Saviour  returned  soon  after  to  Caperna- 
urn  with  his  disciples,  where  they  found  the  mother-in- 
law  of  Peter  dangerously  ill  of  a  fever :  but  the  com- 
passionate Jesus,  who  never  omitted  an  opportunity 
of  doing  good  to  the  human  race,  rebuked  the  disease, 
and  taking  her  by  the  hand,  restored  her  in  a  moment 
to  her  former  health  ;  demonstrating  at  once  his  power 
and  willingness  to  relieve  and  comfort  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  affliction  and  sorrow. 

The  adorable  Redeemer,  having  for  some  time  en- 
tered  on  his  public  ministry,  thought  proper  to  elect 
some  peculiar  persons  from  amongst  his  followers,  to 
be  constant  witnesses  of  his  miracles  and  doctrines,  and 
who  after  his  departure,  might  be  intrusted  with  the 
care  of  building  his  church,  and  planting  that  religion 
in  the  world,  for  which  he  himself  left  the  mansions  of 
heaven,  and  put  on  the  veil  of  mortality.  In  order  to 
this,  he  withdrew  privately  in  the  evening  to  a  solitary 
mountain,  where  he  spent  the  night  in  solemn  addresses 
to  his  Almighty  Father,  for  rendering  the  great  work 
he  was  going  to  undertake  prosperous  and  beneficial  to 
mankind. 

The  disciples  came  to  him  early  the  next  morn- 
ing, out  of  whom  he  made  choice  of  twelve  to  be  his 
apostles,  and  the  constant  attendants  on  his  person.- — • 
These  he  afterwards  invested  with  the  power  of  work- 
ing miracles,  and  sent  them  into  dilFerent  pai'ts  of  Ju- 
dea,  in  order  to  ciwry  on   with  more  rapidity  the  great 

VOL.  ii.  H  h 


242  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

work  \vhich  he  himself  had  so  happily  begun  among 
the  people. 

The  evangelists  in  general,  in  their  enumeration  of 
the  apostles,  constantly  place  St.  Peter  first.  Indeed, 
the  age  and  gravity  of  his  person,  together  with  his  be- 
ing first  called  to  be  an  apostle,  particularly  qualified 
him  for  being  president  of  this  sacred  college  :  but  we 
must  not  suppose  that  St.  Peter  was  invested  with  any 
personal  prerogative  above  his  brethren ;  none  of  them 
ever  intimated  any  such  thing  ;  and  St.  Paul  says  ex- 
pressly, that  he  himself  was  not  inferior  to  the  very  chief 
of  the  apostles  ;  for  he  was  not  less  eminent  for  useful- 
ness and  success  in  his  ministry. 

This  election  had  not  long  taken  place,  when  the 
blessed  Jesus,  attended  by  Peter  and  the  two  sons  of 
Zebedee,  followed  Jairiis,  a  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  to 
his  house,  in  order  to  restore  his  daughter,  an  only  child 
who  lay  at  the  point  of  death  ;  but  before  their  arrival, 
a  messenger  met  them  with  the  news  that  the  damsel 
was  dead,  and  therefore  it  was  unnecessary  for  our  Sa- 
viour to  eive  himself  any  further  trouble  :  but  our  Lord 
bid  the  ruler  not  despair  ;  for,  if  he  believed,  his  daugh- 
ter should  yet  be  restored  to  her  former  health  :  and 
accordingly ,  on  his  arrival  he  took  the  maid  by  the  hand, 
and  with  the  power  of  his  word  recalled  her  fleeting 
spirit,  which  had  quitted  its  earthly  tabernacle,  and  re- 
stored her  again  to  life  and  health,  in  the  presence  of 
her  astonished  friends. 

No  further  account  of  St.  Peter,  in  particular,  occurs 
till  the  night  after  our  Saviour's  miraculously  feeding 
the  multitude  in  the  wilderness.  Jesus  had  ordered  his 
disciples  to  take  ship,  and  pass  over  to  the  other  side, 
while  he  sent  the  multitude  away  ;  but  a  violent  storm 
arising,  they  were  in  great  danger  of  their  lives,  when 
their  great  Master  cam.e  to  them,  walking  on  the  surface 
of  the  boisterous  billows,  with  the  same  ease  as  if  it  had 
been  dry  ground.     At  his  approach,  the  disciples  were 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PKTER.  243 

greatly  terrified,  supposing  they  liad  seen  a  spirit ;  but 
their  compassionate  Master  soon  dispelled  their  fears, 
by  telHng  them  it  was  he  himself,  and  therefore  tliev  liad 
no  reason  to  be  terrified. 

St.  Peter^  who  w^as  always  remarkable  for  bold  reso- 
lutions and  precipitate  zeal,  desired  his  Master  to  give 
him  lea\'e  to  come  to  him  on  the  water  ;  and  on  obtain- 
mg  permission,  he  left  the  ship,  and  walked  on  the  sea 
to  meet  his  Saviour ;  but  when  he  heard  the  deep  roar 
about  him,  and  the  waves  increase,  he  began  to  be 
afraid ;  and  as  his  faith  declined,  his  bodv  sunk  into 
the  w^ater ;  so  that,  m  the  greatest  agony,  lie  called  for 
assistance  to  him  who  was  able  to  save  :  nor  was  his 
cry  in  vain  ;  the  compassionate  Redeemer  of  mankhid 
stretched  out  his  hand,  and  again  placed  him  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  with  this  gentle  reproof,  0  thou 
of  little  faith  wherefore  didst  thou  doiibt"^  And  no  sooner 
was  the  blessed  Jesus  and  his  disciple  entered  into  the 
ship,  than  the  winds  ceased,  the  waves  subsided,  and 
the  ship  w^as  at  the  land  whither  they  were  going.- — 
A  miracle  of  this  kind  could  not  fail  of  astonishine:  the 
disciples,  and  convincing  them  of  the  divinity  of  his 
person  ;  accordingly,  they  drew  near,  and  worshipped 
him  with  this  confession,  of  a  truth  thou  art  the  Son 
of  God, 

Our  blessed  Saviour,  the  next  day,  entered  the  syna^ 
gogue  of  Capernaum ;  and,  from  the  miracle  of  the 
loaves,  took  occasion  to  discourse  concerning  himself, 
as  the  true  manna,  and  the  bread  V)hich  came  down  from 
heaven :  opening  to  them  the  more  sublime  and  spi- 
ritual mysteries,  and  the  necessary  and  important  du- 
ties of  the  gospel.  On  which  great  part  of  the  audi- 
ence, who  expected  he  was  going  to  erect  a  temporal 
kingdom,  and  re-establish  the  throne  of  Da\-id  in  Jeru- 
salem, olfcnded  at  his  representing  his  dominions  ab. 
entirely  spiritual,  departed  from  him,  and  came  no  more 
to  hear  his  discourses.  Jesus,  on  beholding  this  de- 
Action,  turned  himself  towards  hi^  disciples,  and  asked 


244  l^^  OF  ST.  PETER. 

them  whether  they  also  would  go  away  ?  To  which  Pe- 
ter replied,  Lord,  whither  shall  we  go  P  thou  hast  the 
words  oj^  eternal  life :  thy  doctrine  alone  can  instruct  us 
in  the  paths  that  lead  to  happiness ;  and  thou  art  the  true 
Messiah,  the  great  prophet  so  fully  foretold  and  so  long 
expected  by  our  nation. 

Our  great  Redeemer  being  willing  to  hear  what  ac- 
count his  disciples  would  give  him  of  the  various  opin- 
ions of  the  people,  asked  them  w^hat  the  world  said 
concerning  him?  To  which  they  replied,  that  some 
took  him  for  John  the  Baptist  risen  from  the  dead ;  some 
thought  him  to  be  Elias,  and  others  Jeremiah,  or  one  of 
the  old  prophets.  Tliis  account  not  satisfying  our  bles- 
sed Saviour,  he  told  them  that  it  was  no  wonder  that  the 
people,  ,who  had  seldom  seen  him,  should  form  various 
conjectures  concerning  him  and  the  doctrine  he  preached ; 
but  as  they  had  been  constantly  with  him,  heard  his  ser- 
mons, and  been  spectators  of  his  miracles,  it  was  natural 
to  think  they  might  form  a  truer  idea  of  him  ;  and  there- 
fore, asked  them  what  they  themselves  thought  of  him; 
To  which  Peter  in  the  name  of  the  rest,  answered,  Thou 
art  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  anointed  and  set 
apart  by  the  Most  High,  to  be  the^great  King,  Priest, 
and  Prophet  of  Israel. 

This  full  and  comprehensive  declaration  of  Peter, 
satisfied  the  enquiry  of  our  blessed  Saviour,  who  an- 
swered, Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-Jonah:  for  flesh 
and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my  foither 
ivlnch  is  in  heaven:  that  is,  this  faith  which  thou  hast 
now  confessed,  is  not  human,  or  built  upon  the  testi- 
mony of  man,  but  upon  those  ( vidcnces  and  principles 
which  I  was  sent  from  God  to  reveal  unto  the  world, 
and  those  great  and  solemn  attestations  he  hath  given 
from  heaven  to  the  truth  both  of  my  person  and  doc- 
trine :  therefore,  I  say  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter, 
cud  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church,  and  the  gates 
of  hell  shell  not  prevail  against  it.  As  thy  name  sig- 
nifies a  rock,  so  shalt^  thou  prove  firm,  solid,  and  im- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER.  245 

movable,  in  building  my  church,  which  shall  be  so 
iirmly  established  by  thy  care  and  diligence  to  that  faith 
thou  hast  now  professed,  that  all  the  assaults  of  men  and 
devils  shall  not  be  able  to  destroy,  by  their  utmost  ef- 
forts. 

x\t  this  time  the  disciples  had  no  idea  that  their  Mas- 
ter was  to  suffer  death  for  the  sins  of  the  world;  on  the 
contrary,  they  considered  him  as  immortal,  having  im- 
bibed the  opinion  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  That 
Christ  abideth  forever:  so  that  when  the  blessed  Jesus 
told  them  of  the  sufferings  he  must  undergo  at  Jerusa- 
lem, what  affronts  and  indignities  he  must  suffer,  and 
be  at  last  put  to  death  with  all  the  effects  of  torture  and 
disgrace,  by  a  sentence  of  the  Jewish  Sanhedrim,  St. 
Peter,  who  could  not  endure  the  thought  of  his  Mas- 
ter's suffering  even  the  least  punishment,  much  less 
those  cruelties  he  had  mentioned,  and  at  last  death  it- 
self, interrupted  him  very  unseasonably,  and,  said.  Be 
it  Jar  from  thee^  Lord;  this  shall  not  be  done  wit  o  thee. 
He  considered  these  sufferings  as  inconsistent  with  the 
character  of  the  great  Messiah,  whom  he  expected  would 
restore  the  splendour  of  the  throne  of  David  his  father, 
and  reduce  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  to  his  obedi- 
ence. 

Our  blessed  Saviour,  who  canie  down  from  heaven 
to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  and 
who  valued  the  redemption  of  mankind  infinitely  more 
than  his  own  ease  and  safety,  highly  resented  this  speech 
(3f  St.  Peter,  and  accordingly  returned  this  sharj)  re- 
proof. Get  thee  behind  me^  Satan  ;  thou  art  an  offence 
to  me  ;  thou  favour  est  not  the  things  of  God,  but  those 
that  he  of  men. 

After  these  transactions,  the  great  Redeemer  of  the 
sons  of  men,  being  about  to  receive  a  specimen  of  his 
future  glorification,  took  with  him  three  of  the  most  in- 
timate of  his  apostles,  Peter  and  the  two  sons  of  Zeb- 
edee,  and  went  up  into  a  very  high  mountain,  and  while 


246  LIl'E  OF  ST.  PETER, 

they  were  employed  in  earnest  addresses  to  the  Almigh- 
ty, he  was  transfigured  before  them,  such  lustre  beam- 
ing from  his  face,  as  exceeded  the  brightness  of  the 
meridian  sun;  and  such  rays  of  light  issued  from  his 
garments,  as  exceeded  the  light  of  the  clearest  day ;  an 
evident  and  sensible  representation  of  that  state,  when 
the  just  shall  walk  'm  ivhite  robes ^  and  shi?ie  as  the  sun 
ill  the  A'i?igdom  of  their  father .  During  this  heavenly 
scene,  the  great  prophets  Moses  and  Elias  appeared  in 
all  the  brightness  and  majesty  of  a  glorified  state,  fa- 
3niliarly  conversing  with  him,  and  discoursing  of  the 
death  and  sufferings  he  was  shortly  to  undergo,  and 
his  ascension  to  the  heavenly  regions  of  happiness  and 
glory. 

St.  Peter  and  the  two  apostles  were  in  the  mean  time 
fallen  asleep,  being  either  weary  for  want  of  natural 
rest ;  or,  overpowered  with  these  extraordinary  appear- 
ances, which  the  frailty  and  weakness  of  their  nature 
could  not  support,  were  fallen  into  a  trance :  but  on 
their  awaking,  were  strangely  surprised  to  see  their 
Lord  surrounded  with. so  much  glory,  and  those  two 
great  persons  conversing  with  him.  They  however, 
remained  silent  till  those  visitants  from  the  court  of  hea- 
ven ^\'ere  going  to  depart,  when  Peter,  in  a  rapture  and 
extacy  of  mind,  addressed  himself  to  his  Master,  de- 
darinp-  their  infinite  f)leasure  and  delight  in  being  fa- 
voured with  this  glorious  spectacle ;  and  desired  his 
leave  to  erect  three  tabernacles,  one  for  him,  one  for 
Moses,  and  one  for  Elias;  but  while  he  was  speaking, 
a  bright  cloud  suddenly  overshaded  those  two  great 
prophets,  and  a  voice  came  from  it,  uttering  these  re- 
markablc  words,  Thh  is  my  beloved  Son  i?i  whom  I  am 
well  pleased;  hear  ye  him.  On  which  the  apostles 
M'ere  seized  with  tl^e  utmost  consternation,  and  fell 
upon  their  faces  to  the  ground;  but  Jehus  touching 
them,  bid  them  dismiss  their  fears  and  look  up  with 
confidence.  They  immediately  obeyed,  but  saw  their 
Master  only;  the  others  having  vanished,  togedier  with 
the  cloud  of  light  they  had  lately  beheld. 


l.IFE  OF  ST.  PETER  247 

This  heavenly  scene  bcin^^  ended,  our  blessed  Sa- 
viour travelled  through  Galilee  with  his  apoistles,  and 
at  his  return  to  Capernaum,  the  tax- gatherers  came 
to  Peter,  and  asked  him,  whether  his  Master  was  not 
obliged  to  pay  tribute.  To  which  Peter  readily  de- 
clared he  did.  On  his  entering  the  house  to  give  his 
Master  aii  account  of  this  demand,  Jesus  prevented 
him,  by  asking,  JV/iat  tli'mkest  thou,  Simon?  Of  whom 
do  the  A'ings  of  the  earth  take  custom  or  tribute?  oj 
their  own  children^  or  of  strangers?  To  which  Peter 
answered,  not  from  their  servants  and  family,  but  from 
strangers.  Then,  replied  our  Lord,  are  the  children 
free,  I  myself  as  being  the  Son  of  God,  and  you  as 
my  servants,  are  free  from  this  tax,  yearly  paid  to  God, 
for  repairing  his  temple  at  Jerusalem.  But  rather  than 
give  oifence,  by  seeming  to  despise  the  house  of  God, 
and  undervalue  that  authority  which  had  settled  this 
tribute,  he  determined  to  pay  it,  though  at  the  expence 
of  a  miracle.  Accordingly,  he  ordered  Peter  to  repair 
to  the  sea  with  a  hook,  and  take  the  first  fish  that  of- 
fered, in  whose  mouth  he  should  find  a  piece  of  mo- 
ney. The  disciple  obeyed,  and  found  the  money  as 
his  Master  had  foretold,  and  gave  to  the  gatherers  ol 
the  tribute  for  his  Master  and  himsell',  as  their  propor- 
tion of  it, 

^  Our  blessed  Saviour  having  entered  the  cit}-  of  Je- 
rusalem in  triumph,  he  repaired  to  Bethany ;  from 
whence  he  sent  t\vo  of  his  disciples,  Peter  and  John, 
to  make  preparation  for  his  celebrating  the  passover  be- 
fore his  death. 

Preparation  being  made,  the  great  Rcdeciuer  and  his 
apostles  entered  the  house,  and  set  down  at  table.  But 
their  great  Master,  who  often  taught  them  by  examplt 
as  well  as  precept,  arose  from  his  scat,  kiid  aside  his 
upper  garment,  took  a  towel,  and  pouring  water  into  a 
bason,  began  to  v/ash  his  disciples'  feet,  to  teach  thcni 
humility  and  charity  by  his  own  example.  But  on  his 
coming  to  Peter,  he  would  by  no  means  admit  his  Mas- 


24S  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETKK. 

ter  to  pcribrm  so  mean  and  condescending  an  office. 
What!  the  Son  of  God  stoop  to  wash  the  feet  of  a 
sinful  morUd !  A  thought  which  shocked  the  apostle, 
who  strenuously  declared,  T/iou  shalt  never  xvash  viy 
feet.  But  the  blessed  Jesus  told  him,  that  if  he  wash- 
ed him  not,  he  could  have  no  part  with  him;  meaning 
that  this  action  was  mystical,  and  signified  the  remission 
of  sins,  and  the  purifying  virtue  of  the  spirit  of  the 
Most  High,  to  be  poured  upon  all  true  Christians. 
I'his  answer  sufficiently  removed  the  scruples  of  Pe- 
ter, w^ho  cried  out,  Lordy  not  my  feet  only^  but  also  my 
hands  and  my  head. 

The  dear  Redeemer  now  began  the  institution  of  hi^i 
supper,  that  great  and  solemn  institution,  whicli  he  re- 
solved to  leave  behind  him,  to  be  constantlv  celebrated 
in  his  church  as  a  standing  monument  and  memorial  of 
his  love  in  dvino;  for  mankind;  teilinj^:  them  at  the  same 
time,  that  he  himself  was  now  going  to  leave  them, 
and  that  whither  he  went,  they  could  not  come.  Pe-. 
ter,  not  well  understanding  what  he  meant,  asked  him, 
v/hither  he  was  going?  To  which  our  blessed  Lord  re- 
plied, that  he  was  going  to  that  place,  whither  he  could 
not  now,  but  should  hereafter  follow  him ;  intimating 
the  martyrdom  he  was  to  suiFer  fpr  his  Master's  reii- 
scion.  Peter  answered,  that  he  was  readv  to  follow  him. 
even  if  it  required  him  to  lay  down  his  life.  This  con- 
fident presumption  was  not  at  all  agreeable  to  the  bless- 
ed Jesus,  who  told  him  he  had  promised  great  things, 
but  would  be  so  far  from  performing  them,  that  before 
the  cock  crew  twice,  that  is  before  three  in  the  morn- 
ing, he  would  deny  his  Master  thrice. 

Having  now  ended  supper,  they  sung  an  hymn,  and 
departed  to  the  Mount  of  Olives;  where  Jesus  again 
put  them  in  mind  how  greatly  the  things  lie  was  going 
to  suiier  would  ofiend  them.  To  w^iich  PeXer  replied, 
that  though  all  men  shall  he  offeiided  because  of  thef. 
yct^dll  1 7jever  be  offended. 


Ul'E  OF  ST.  MTEk.  249 

After  this  they  repaired  to  the  i^ardcn  of  Gcthscma- 
lie ;  and  leaving  the  rest  of  the  apostles  near  the  en- 
trance, our  blessed  Sa^'iour,  taking  with  him  Peter. 
James,  and  John,  retired  into  the  more  solitary  parts  of 
the  garden,  to  enter  on  the  preparatory  scene  of  thc^ 
great  tragedy  that  was  now  nigh  at  hand. 

The  blessed  Je  su  s  at  this  awful  juncture  laboured  un- 
der the  bitterest  agony  that  human  nature  could  suffer, 
during  \\'hich  he  prayed  with  the  utmost  fervency  to  his 
almighty  Father,  offering  up  prayers  and  supplications^ 
with  strong  cryings  and  tears;  and  his  sweat  was  as  it 
were  great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to  the  ground. 
While  our  great  Redeemer  was  thus  interceding  with  the 
Almighty,  his  three  disciples  were  fallen  asleep,  though 
he  had  made  three  several  visits  to  them;  calling  to 
Peter,  asked  him,  if  he  could  not  w^atch  one  hour  with 
him?  advising  tbem  all  to  watch  and  pray,  that  they 
might  not  enter  into  temptation,  adding.  The  spirit  irt- 
deed  is  willing^  but  the  flesh  is  weakt. 

During  our  Lord's  conversation  with  them,  a  band 
of  soldiers  from  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  preceded 
])y  the  traitor  Judas  to  conduct  and  direct  them,  rushed 
into  the  garden,  and  seized  the  great  High- Priest  of  our 
profession.  Peter,  whose  ungovernable  zeal  would  admit 
of  no  restraint,  drew  his  sword,  and  without  the  least  or- 
der from  his  Master,  struck  at  one  of  the  persons  who 
seemed  to  be  remarkably  busy  in  binding  Jesus,  and 
tut  off  his  right  ear.  This  wild  and  unwarrantable  zeal 
was  very  offensive  to  his  Master,  who  rebuked  Peter, 
and  entreated  the  patience  of  the  soldiers,  while  he  heal- 
ed the  wound  by  a  miracle. 

The  fidelity  of  the  apostles,  which  they  had  urged 
\Vith  so  much  confidence,  was  now  put  to  the  trial.  l.^hey 
saw  their  Master  in  the  hands  of  a  rude  and  inconside-* 
rate  band  of  men ;  and  therefore  should  have  exerted 
their  power  to  release  him,  or  at  least  have  been  the 
companions  of  his  sufferings,  and  endeavoured,  by  every 

VOL.  iL  I  i 


25(y  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

kind  and  endearing  action',  to  have  lessened  his  grief. 
But  alas!  instead  of  assisting  or  comforting  their  Master. 
they  all  forsook  him  and  fled, — from  innocence  in  dis- 
tress. 

Hereupon  the  soldiers  who  had  bound  Jesus  led  him 
away,  delivered  him  to  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  who 
carried  him  from  one  tribunal  to  another;  first  to  Annas, 
and  then  to  Caiaphas,  where  the  Jev^dsh  Sanhedrim 
were  assembled  in  order  to  try  and  condemn  him  to 
death. 

Peter y  who  in  the  mean  time  had  followed  the  other 
disciples  in  their  flight,  recovered  his  spirits,  and  en- 
couraged by  his  companion  St.  John,  returned  to  seek 
his  Master ;  and  seeing  him  leading  to  the  high-priest's 
hall,  followed  at  a  distance,  to  know  the  event :  but  oiji 
his  coming  to  the  door  he  was  refused  admittance,  till 
one  pf  the  disciples,  probably  St.  John,  who  was  ac- 
quainted there,  came  out,  and  prevailed  on  the  servant 
who  kept  the  door,  to  let  him  in.  Peter  being  admit- 
ted, repaired  to  the  fire  burning  in  the  middle  of  the 
haltj  round  which  the  officers  and  servants  were  stand- 
ing; where  being  observed  by  the  maid-servant  who 
let  him  in,  she  charged  him  with  being  one  of  C  h  r  i  s  t  '  s 
disciples;  but  Peter  publicly  denied  the  charge,  declar- 
ing that  he  did  not  know  him,  and  presently  withdrew 
into  a  porch,  where  he  heard  the  cock  crow :  an  inti- 
mation seemingly  sufficient  to  have  awakened  his  con- 
science into  a  quick  sense  of  his  duty,  and  the  promise 
he  had  a  few  hours  before  made  to  his  Master.  But,- 
alas!  human  nature  when  left  to  itself,  is  remarkably 
Irail  and  inconstant.  This  Peter  sufficiently  experi- 
enced; for  while  he  continued  in  the  porch,  another 
maid  met  him,  and  charsred  him  with  beins:  one  of  the 
tbliowers  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth; 'which  Peter  stiffly 
denied,  and,  the  better  to  gain  belief,  uttered  an  oath., 
to  confirm  his  assertion. 

Nearly  an  hour  after  this,  the  servant  of  the  high- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETIlR.  25  t 

priest  (he  whose  ear  Peter  had  cut  off)  charged  him 
with  being  a  disciple  of  Christ,  and  that  he  himself 
had  seen  him  in  the  garden  with  him;  adding*,  that  his 
ver}^  speech  proved  him  to  l)e  a  Galilean.  Peter,  how- 
ever, still  denied  the  fact;  and  to  add  the  highest  ac- 
complishment to  his  sins,  ratified  it,  not  only  by  an  oathj 
but  a  solemn  curse  and  execration,  that  he  was  not  the 
person,  that  he  knew  not  the  man.  But  no  sooner  had 
he  uttered  this  denial,  than  the  cock  crew.  At  whicli 
Iiis  Master  turned  about,  and  earnestly  looked  upon 
him :  a  look  that  pierced  him  to  the  heart,  and  brought 
to  his  remembrance  what  his  Saviour  more  thau  once 
foretold,  that  he  Vv^ould  basely  and  shamefully  deny  him. 
Peter  was  now  no  longer  able  to  contain  his  sorrow;  he 
fled  from  thp  palace  of  the  high-priest,  and  wept  bitterly, 
passionately  bewailing  his  folly,  and  tlie  aggravations 
of  his  sin ;  endeavouring  thereby  to  make  'some  repa- 
ration for  his  apostacy,  and  reco\'er  the  favour  of  hea- 
ven, and  prevent  the  execution  of  divine  justice,  b}- 
takinga  severe  revenge  upon  himself  for  his  crime. 

St.  Peter's  fall  should  convince  us  of  the  miserable 
frailty  even  of  the  best  of  men,  and  effectually  subdue 
those  vain  confidences  which  are  apt  to  rise  in  our  hearts 
from  our  ouii  supposed  strength  and  virtue;  for  as  this 
great  disciple  fell  in  so  scandalous  a  manner,  we  should 
hereafter  cease  to  depend  upon  the  highest  degree  of 
knowledge,  when  one  so  wise,  so  perfectly  satisfied  oi 
the  truth  of  the  Christian  doctrine,  was  after  the  fullest 
convictions  of  his  own  conscience,  so  weak  and  frail  as 
to  deny  and  abjure  his  Lord  who  instructed  and  bought 
him,  even  at  die  price  of  his  own  blood  ?  Who  shall 
presume  upon  his  best  resolutions^  when  he  \vho  de- 
clared so  firm  a  purpose  of  adhereiug  to  Jesus,  did 
within  a  few  hours  peremptorily  and  solemnly  disown 
that  very  person  for  whose  sake  he  was  lately  ready  and 
disposed  to  lay  down  his  hfe. 

From  this  example  we  should  also  remember  the  wis^ 
4om  and   goodness  of  the  Almightv,  in  causing  the 


§52  tlFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

faults  and  infirmities  of  his  saints  to  be  recorded  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  and  the  use  we  ought  to  make  of  their 
failings  and  temptations.  Their  eminent  virtues,  and 
their  eminent  repentance  where  they  did  amiss,  are 
written  as  a  seasonable  warning,  and  exhibit  an  instance 
of  humiliation  to  all  future  ages ;  by  letting  us  see,  that 
the  most  perfect  are  but  men,  subject  to  blemishes  and 
imperfections :  and  that  the  highest  and  purest  state  is 
no  security  from  danger.  This  should  make  us  very 
tender  how  we  judge  and  despise  our  brethren;  whose 
faults,  however  severely  we  may  censure  them,  might 
probably  have  been  our  own  had  we  been  in  their  cir- 
cumstances and  surrounded  with  their  temptations :  for 
let  him  that  thinketh  he  standethy  take  heed  lest  he  fall. 
We  should  not  then  promise  ourselves  safety  and  free- 
dom from  temptations  in  any  circumstances  in  life ;  or 
so  far  presume  on  our  own  virtue,  as  to  think  we  are 
incapable  of  committing  the  blackest  crimes,  should 
the  Almighty  withdraw  his  grace,  and  leave  us  to  our- 
selves. 

We  have  no  account  whether  St.  Peter,  after  the  de- 
nial of  his  Master,  retired  into  some  solitary  place  to 
give  vent  to  his  grief,  and  indulge  his  tears :  or  whether 
he  followed  his  Saviour  through  the  several  stages  of 
his  trial,  and  personally  attended  as  a  mourner  at  the  fu- 
neral of  his  Master.  But  however  that  be,  he  staid 
at  Jerusalem,  or,  at  least,  in  the  neighbourhood,  and 
probably  with  St.  John  ;  for  when  Mary  Magdalene  re- 
turned from  the  sepulchre,  to  inform  the  disciples  that 
the  stone  was  rolled  away  from  the  door,  and  the  body 
not  to  be  found,  Peter  and  John  set  out  immediately  to- 
wards the  garden,  John  who  was  the  younger  arrived 
first  at  the  sepulchre,  looked  into  it,  but  did  not  enter, 
either  out  of  fear,  or  a  reverence  to  his  Saviour. 

Peter,  vvhose  zeal  was  greatly  increased,  came  sooi;\ 
after,  and  resolutely  went  into  the  sepulchre  where  he 
found  the  linen  clothes  lying  together  in  one  place,  the 
napkin  that  was  about  his  head  wrapped  together  iu 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER.  253 

another;  a  sufficient  indication  that  the  body  was  not 
stolen  away  :  for  had  that  been  the  case  so  much  care 
and  order  w^ould  not  have  been  observed  in  dispos- 
ing of  the  hnen  clothes.  But  he  did  not  wait  loni^ 
in  suspence  with  regard  to  his  great  Lord  and  Master  ; 
for  the  same  day,  and  probably  about  noon,  Jesus  ap- 
peared to  him  ;  perhaps  in  compassion  to  his  sorrow, 
in  which  he  was  overwhelmed  for  his  late  shameful  de- 
nial of  his  Master.  And  as  he  was  the  first  of  the  dis- 
ciples who  had  made  a  signal  confession  of  the  divinity 
of  the  Messiah,  so  it  was  reasonable  he  should  first  see 
him  after  his  resurrection ;  and,  at  the  same  time  to  con- 
vince him  that  the  crime  he  had  been  s:uiltv  of  in  denv- 
ing  him  was  pardoned,  and  that  he  was  come,  like  the 
good  Samaritan,  to  pour  oil  into  his  wounded  conscience, 
and  administer  comfort  to  his  afflicted  soul. 

The  apostles  soon  after  prepared  to  obey  the  com- 
mand of  their  great  Master,  of  retiring  into  Galilee  ; 
and  we  find  that  Peter,  Nathaniel,  the  two  sons  of  Ze- 
bedee,  and  two  other  disciples,  returned  to  their  old 
trade  of  fishing  on  the  lake.  One  morning  early  as  they 
were  labouring  at  their  employment,  having  spent  the 
whole  night  to  no  purpose,  they  saw  on  the  shore  a 
grave  person  (perhaps  in  the  habit  of  a  traveller)  who 
called  to  them,  and  asked  if  they  had  any  meat  ?  To 
w^hich  they  answered  No.  Cast  then,  replied  he,  the 
net  on  the  right  side  of  the  ship,  and  ye  shall  find.-— 
They  followed  his  directions,  and  enclosed  a  prodigious 
number  of  large  fish.  Astonished  at  such  remarkable 
success,  the  disciples  looked  one  upon  another  for  some 
time,  till  St.  John  told  Peter,  that  the  person  on  the  shore, 
was  doubtless  their  great  Lord  and  Master,  whom  the 
winds,  the  sea,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  watery  region, 
were  so  ready  to  yield  obedience  to. 

St.  Peter  no  sooner  heard  the  beloved  disciple  declare 
his  opinion,  concerning  the  stranger,  than  his  zeal  took 
fire,  and  notwithstanding  the  coolness  of  the  season, 
girt  on  his  fisher's  coat,  threw  himself  into  the  sea,  and 


254  LIFE  OP  ST.  PEThR, 

swam  to  shore  ;  his  impatience  to  be  with  his  Lord  aud 
Master,  not  suffering  him  to  stay  the  few  minutes  ne^ 
cessary  to  bring  the  ship  to  the  shore. 

"  As  soon  as  the  disciples  came  on  kind,  they  found  a 
fire  kindled,  and  a  fish  laid  upon  it,  either  immediately 
created  by  the  power  of  their  divine  Master,  or  that 
came  ashore  of  its  own  accord,  and  offered  itself  to  his 
hand :  but  notwithstanding  there  were  fish  already  on 
the  fire,  he  ordered  them  to  bring  of  those  they  had  now 
caught,  and  dress  them  for  their  repast,  he  himself  eat- 
ing with  them  ;  both  to  give  them  an  instance  of  mu- 
tual love  and  friendship,  and  also  to  assure  them  of  the 
truth  of  his  human  nature,  since  he  was  risen  from  the 
dead,  as  they  now  beheld. 

The  repast  being  ended,  our  blessed  Saviour  address- 
ed himself  particularly  to  St.  Peter,  urging  him  to  the 
utmost  diligence  in  his  care  of  souls ;  and  because  he 
knew  that  nothing  but  a  sincere  love  to  himself  could 
support  him  under  the  troubles  and  dangers  of  so  labo- 
rious and  difficult  an  employment,  he  inquired  of  him 
whether  he  loved  him  more  than  the  rest  of  the  apostles; 
mildly  reproving  him  for  his  over-confident  resolution. 
Peter,  whom  fatal  experience  had  taught  humility,  mo- 
destly answered,  that  none  knew  so  well  as  himself  the 
integrity  of  his  affections  ^  thou  knov/est  the  hearts  of 
all  men,  nothing  is  hid  from  thee,  and  therefore  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee.  The  question  was  three  sev- 
eral times  repeated  by  our  blessed  Saviour,  and  as  man}' 
times  answered  by  the  apostle  :  it  being  but  just  that  he, 
who  by  a  threefold  denial,  had  given  so  much  reason 
to  question  his  affection,  should  now,  by  a  threefold 
confession,  give  more  than  common  assurance  of  his 
sincere  love  for  his  Master ;  and  to  each  of  these  con- 
fessions, our  great  Redeemer  added  this  signal  trial  of 
his  affection.  Feed  my  sheep. 

Our  dear  Lord  having  thus  engaged  Peter  to  a  cheer- 
M  compliance  with  dangers  that  might  attend  the  dis- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER.  255 

eliars^e  of  his  office,  particularly  intimated  to  him  the 
fate  that  would  attend  him  ;  telling  him,  that  when  he 
was  young,  he  girt  himself,  lived  at  his  pleasure,  and 
went  wherever  his  fancy  directed  him  ;  but  when  he 
.should  reach  the  term  of  old  age,  he  should  stretch 
fordi  his  hands,  and  another  should  gird  him,  and  bind 
him,  and  lead  him,  whither  he  had  no  desire  to  go  ;  in- 
timating, as  the  evangelists  tell  us,  by  what  death  he 
should  glorify  God,  and  sealthe  truth  with  his  blood. 

St.  Peter  was  not  averse  to  drinking  the  bitter  cup, 
and  making  his  confession  as  public  as  his  denial,  that 
he  might  thereby  testify  the  sincerity  of  his  sorrow,  and 
contrition  for  his  great  ofience.  And  seeing  John  fol- 
lowing, he  asked  his  great  Master  A\-hat  should  be  his 
fate,  and  whether  he  who  had  been  the  object  of  his 
Master's  love  in  his  life-time,  should  not  have  as  hon- 
ourable a  death  as  he  that  had  denied  him  ?  To  which 
Jesus  replied,  it  doth  not  concern  thee  to  know  how  I 
shall  dispose  of  events  with  regard  to  him  ;  he  shall  see 
the  destruction  of  the  Jewish  nation,  and  then  go  down 
in  peace  to  the  chambers  of  the  dust. 

Our  blessed  Saviour  soon  after  appeared  to  his  disci- 
ples at  Jerusalem  to  take  his  last  farewel  of  them,  who 
Jiad  constantly  attended  him  during  his  ministry  amongst 
the  sons  of  men.  He  now  led  them  out  as  far  as  Beth- 
any ;  a  small  village  on  Mount  Olivet,  where  he  brief!} 
told  them,  that  they  were  the  persons  he  had  chosen 
to  be  the  witnesses  both  of  his  death  and  resurrection ; 
a  testimony  which  they  should  publish  in  every  part  ol 
the  world ;  in  order  to  which,  he  would,  after  his  as- 
cension into  heaven,  pour  out  his  spirit  upon  them  h\ 
an  extraordinary  manner,  they  they  might  be  the  better 
enabled  to  struggle  with  that  violent  rage  and  fury  \vith 
uiiich  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel  would  be  opposed  b}" 
men  and  dcA'ils  ;  adding,  that  in  the  mean  time  they 
should  return  to  Jerusalem  and  there  wait  till  those  mirac- 
ulous powers  were  given  from  on  high.  This  discourse 
being  finished,  he  laid  hands  upon  them,  and  gave  them 


^56  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETEtl. 

his  solemn  benediction ;  during  \vhich  he  was  taken 
from  them,  and  received  up  into  the  regions  of  the  hea- 
venly Canaan. 

Our  glorious  Redeemer  having  left  this  vale  of  misery 
and  ascended  into  the  blissful  habitations  of  immortal- 
ity, the  apostles  began  to  act  in  conformity  to  the  power 
and  commission  they  had  received  from  him.  The 
first  object  that  engaged  their  attention  after  their  re- 
turn to  Jerusalem,  was  to  fill  up  the  vacancy  in  their 
college,  lately  made  by  the  unhappy  fall  and  apostacy 
of  Judas.  In  order  to  this  they  called  together  the 
church,  and  entered  into  an  upper- room,  where  Peter, 
as  president  of  the  assembly,  proposed  to  them  the 
choice  of  a  new  apostle.  He  put  them  in  mind  that  Ju- 
das, one  of  the  disciples  of  their  great  and  beloved  Mas- 
ter, being  betrayed  by  his  covetous  and  insatiable  tem- 
per, had  lately  fallen  from  the  honour  of  his  place  and 
ministry ;  that  this  was  no  more  than  what  the  prophet  had 
long  since  foretold  should  come  to  pass  ;  and  that  the 
care  of  the  church  which  had  been  committed  to  him, 
should  devolve  upon  another ;  that  therefore  it  was 
highly  necessary  that  some  person  who  had  been  fami- 
liarly conversant  with  the  blessed  Jesus,  from  first  to 
last,  and  consequently,  a  competent  witness  both  of  his 
doctrine  and  miracles,  his  death,  resurrection,  and  as- 
cension, should  be  substituted.in  his  room,  and  appoint- 
ed to  that  high  office.  In  order  to  which  two  candidates 
were  proposed,  Joseph,  called  Barsabas,  and  Matthias, 
both  qualified  for  the  great  and  important  office  of  the 
apostleship  ;  and  having  prayed  that  the  Divine  Provi- 
dence would  immediately  guide  and  direct  their  choice, 
they  cast  lots,  and  the  lot  fell  upon  Matthias,  who  was 
accordingly  admitted  into  the  number  of  the  twelve 
apostles  of  our  Lord. 

This  vacancy  being  filled  up  in  the  apostoljc  collegCy 
they  spent  their  time  in  prayer  and  meditation,  till  the 
feast  of  Pentecost;  when  the  promise  of  their  great  Mas- 
ter in  sending  the  Holy  Ghost  was  fulfilled.  The  chris- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER.  2jr 

tian  assembly  were  met  as  usual,  to  perform  the  public 
services  of  their  worship,  when  suddenly  a  sound,  like 
that  of  a  mighty  wind,  rushed  in  upon  them,  represent- 
ing the  powerful  efficacy  of  that  Divine  Spirit  which 
was  now  to  be  communicated  to  them ;  after  which 
there  appeared  small  flames  of  fire,  which  in  the  shape 
of  cloven  tongues,  descended,  and  sat  upon  the  head  of 
each  of  them,  to  denote  that  their  enjoyment  of  this  gift 
should  be  constant  and  perpetual,  and  not  like  the  pro- 
phets of  old,  who  were  inspired  only  at  some  particular 
times  and  seasons  :  upon  which  they  were  all  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,  which,  in  an  instant  enabled  them  to 
speak  fluently  sevei^al  languages  they  had  never  learned, 
itnd  probably  never  heard  till  this  time. 

As  this  surprising  transaction  had  dificrent  effects  on 
the  minds  of  the  audience,  some  considering  it  as  the 
effect  of  a  miracle,  and  others  to  the  power  and  strength 
«f  new  wine :  the  apostles  thereupon  all  stood  up,  and 
Peter,  in  the  name  of  the  rest,  undertook  to  confute  this 
injurious  calumny :  he  told  them  that  this  scandalous 
slander  proceeded  from  the  spirit  of  malice  and  false- 
hood ;  that  their  censure  was  as  uncharitable  as  it  was 
unjust ;  that  it  was  early  in  the  morning,  and  thorc  Fore 
not  a  time  for  drinking,  especially  on  a  day  set  apart  for 
devotion  ;  that  these  extraordinary  and  miraculous  ef- 
fects were  but  the  accomplishment  of  an  ancient  pro- 
phecy, which  the  Almighty  had  expressly  declared 
should  be  fulfilled  ia  the  times  of  the  Messiah ;  that 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  had  evidently  proved  himself  to  be 
that  gi'cat  prophet,  the  Son  of  the  Most  High,  by  many 
imquestionablc  miracles,  of  wliich  they  themselves  had 
been  eye-witnesses ;  and  though  by  the  permission  of 
Omnipotence,  wlio  had  determined  by  this  means,  to 
bnng  about  the  redemption  of  mankind,  they  had  ^\  ick- 
edly  crucified  and  slain  him,  yet  God  had  raised  Iiim 
from  the  dead. 

Though  this  ■^^•as  the  first  discourse  that  St.  Peter 
ever  made  in  public,  it  deeply  afiected  the  audience, 
VOL.  ii.  K  k 


253'  LIFE  OP  ST.  PETER. 

and  every  word,  like  a  dagger,  pierced  them  to  the 
heart;  so  that  they  cried  out,  Men  and  Brethren y  what 
shall  we  do  ?  To  which  Peter  answered,  "  The  only 
way  to  expiate  j^our  guilt,  and  obtain  Pardon,  for  the 
sins  you  have  committed,  and  acquire  the  gifts  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  is  to  repent  sincerely,  and  be  baptized  into 
the  religion  of  this  crucified  Saviour." 

A  short  time  after  this  wonderful  conversation,  Peter 
and  John  going  up  to  the  temple  about  three  in  the  af- 
ternoon, near  the  conclusion  of  one  of  the  solemn  hours 
of  prayer,  they  saw  a  poor  impotent  cripple  near  forty 
years  of  age,  who  had  been  lame  from  his  birth,  laying 
at  the  beautiful  gate  of  the  temple,  and  asking  alms  of 
those  who  entered  the  sacred  edifice.  This  miserable 
object  moved  flieir  compassion ;  and  Peter  beholding 
him  with  attention,  said,  "  The  riches  of  this  world, 
the  silver  and  gold  so  highly  coveted  by  the  sons  of 
men,  are  not  in  my  power  to  bestow ;  but  I  possess 
the  power  of  restoring  life  and  health,  and  am  ready  to 
assist  thee."  Then  taking  the  man  by  the  hand,  com- 
manded him  in  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  to  rise 
up  and  walk.  Immediately  the  nerves  and  sinews  were 
enlarged,  and  the  several  parts  of  the  diseased  members 
performed  their  natural  functions  :,  upon  which  the  man 
accompanied  them  into  the  temple,  in  walking,  leaping, 
and  praising  God  for  his  cure. 

An  event  so  strange  and  extraordinary,  filled  the 
minds  of  the  people  with  admiration,  and  their  curios- 
ity drew  them  round  the  apostles  to  view  the  men  who 
had  performed  it.  Peter,  seeing  the  multitude  gather- 
ing round  them  took  the  opportunity  of  speaking  to 
them  in  the  following  manner.  "  Men  and  brethren, 
this  remarkable  cure  should  not  excite  your  admiration 
of  us,  as  if  we  had  performed  it  by  our  own  power ;  it 
Was  wrought  rn  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  our  cru- 
cified Master,  by  the  power  of  that  very  Christ,  that: 
holy  and  just  Person,  whom  you  yourselves  have  deni- 
ed? and  delivered  to  Pilate^  nay,  and  preferred  a  mur- 


LirE  OF  ST.  PETER  85.9 

xierer  before  him,  when  the  governor  was  desirous  of 
letting  him  go :  but  though  you  have  put  him  to  deatli, 
yet  we  are  witnesses  that  he  liath  aiisen  again  from  the 
dead,  and  that  he  is  ascended  into  heaven,  where  he  will 
remain  till  the  great  and  tremendous  day  of  general  re- 
stitution." 

While  Peter  was  speaking  to  the  people  in  one  part 
of  the  temple,  John  was  in  all  probability,  doing  the 
same  in  the  other :  and  the  success  plainly  indicated 
how  powerfully  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  was  ;  five 
thousand  persons  embracing  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel, 
and  acknowledging  the  crucified  Jesus  for  their  Lord 
and  Redeemer. 

The.  attention  and  envy  of  the  rulers  of  Israel  could 
not  fail  of  being  excited  atjsuch  amazing  success  iVom 
the  preaching  of  the  apostles  ;  accordingly,  the  priests 
and  Sadducees  repaired  to  the  Roman  magistrate,  and 
intimated  to  him,  that,  in  all  probability,  this  concourse 
of  people  would  prove  the  cause  of  a  tumult  and  insur- 
rection. Upon  this  information,  the  captain  of  tlie  tem- 
ple seized  on  the  apostles,  and  cast  them  into  prison. 
The  next  day  they  were  carried  before  the  Jewish  San- 
hedrim :  and  being  asked  by  what  power  and  authority 
they  had  done  this,  Peter  boldly  answered,  *'Be  it  known 
unto  you  and  to  all  the  descendants  of  Jacob,  that  this 
miracle  was  wrought  wholly  in  the  name  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  whom  ye  yourselves  have  crucified  and  slain, 
and  whom  the  Almighty  hath  raised  again  froni  the 
dead.  This  is  the  stone  which  your  builders  refused^ 
and  which  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner;  nor  is  there 
any  other  way  by  which  you,  or  any  of  the  sons  of  men 
can  be  saved,  but  by  this  crucified  Saviour,  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ." 

After  beholding  the  apostles  with  a  kind  of  aston- 
ishment, the  court  remembered  that  they  had  seen  them 
with  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  therefore  ordered  them 
tp  withdraw-  whilst  they  debated  amongst  themselves 


260  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

what  was  proper  to  be  done :  it  was  impossible  to  deny 
the  miracle,  formed  before  all  the  people,  and  the  per- 
son on  whom  it  was  wrought  was  no  stranger  in  Jerusa- 
lem. They  resolved  therefore  to  charge  them  strictly  not 
to  preach  any  more  in  the  name  of  Je  sus  :  accordingly, 
they  were  again  called  in,  and  acquainted  with  the  re- 
solution of  the  council :  to  which  the  appstles  answered, 
"  That  as  they  had  received  a  commission  from  heaven 
to  declare  to  all  nations  what  they  had  ^een  and  heard, 
it  was  certainly  their  duty  to  obey  God,  rather  than 
man." 

Although  this  was  a  fiiir  appeal  to  the  consciences  of 
their  very  judges  ;  yet  these  rulers  of  Israel,  instead  of 
being  satisfied  with  it,  would  in  all  probability  have  pro- 
ceeded to  a  greater  violence,  had  not  the  peoples  vene- 
ration for  the  apostles  checked  their  malice ;  so  that 
all  they  dared  to  do,  was  to  enforce  their  menaces,  and 
suffer  them  to  depart. 

This  intrepidity  of  the  apostles  had  the  desired  effect : 
the  church  increased  exceedingly  :  and  that  so  great  a 
company,  especially  the  poor  and  needy,  might  be  main- 
tained, the  professors  of  the  religion  of  the  holy  Jesus 
sold  their  estates,  and  brought  the  money  to  the  apostles 
that  they  might  deposit  it  in  one  common  treasury,  and 
from  thence  supply  the  several  exigencies  of  their  poor 
brethren. 

We  find,  however,  that  hypocrisy  was  not  unknown 
amongst  the  professors  of  religion,  even  in  these  primi* 
tive  times.  Ananias  and  his  wife  Sapphira,  having 
embraced  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  pretended  to  fol- 
low the  free  and  generous  spirit  of  these  times,  by  coiv 
iiecrating  and  devoting  their  estate  to  the  honour  of 
God,  and  the  necessities  of  the  church.  Accordingly^ 
they  sold  their  possessions,  and  brought  part  of  the  mo- 
ney and  laid  it  at  the  apostles'  feet ;  hoping  to  deceive 
them,  though  guided  by  the  spirit  of  Omnipotence : 
but  Peter,  at  his  first  cgming  in,  asked  Ananias,  how 


LWE  OF  ST.  PETER.  261 

he  could  suffer  Satan  to  fill  his  heart  with  such  enor- 
mous wickedness,  as  to  think  to  deceive  the  Holy 
Ghost  ?  That  before  it  was  sold,  it  was  wholly  in  his 
own  power;  and  afterwards  the  money  entirely  at  his 
own  disposal :  so  that  this  action  was  capable  of  no 
other  interpretation,  than  that  he  had  not  only  abused 
and  injured  man,  but  mocked  the  Almighty  himself, 
who  he  must  know  was  privy  to  the  most  secret  thoughts 
of  his  heart. 

No  sooner  had  the  apostles  finished,  than  Ananias, 
to  the  great  terror  of  all  that  were  present,  fell  down 
dead  by  a  stroke  from  heaven ;  and  not  long  after  his 
wife  came  in,  whom  Peter  reproved  in  the  same  man- 
ner he  had  done  her  husband,  adding,  that  she  should 
immediately  end  her  life  in  the  same  awful  manner ; 
upon  which  she  was  smitten  by  the  hand  of  Omnipo- 
tence, and  fell  down  dead ;  sharing  with  her  husband 
in  the  punishment,  as  she  had  before  in  the  heinous 
crime.  v 

This  remarkable  instance  of  severity,  filled  all  the 
converts  with  fear  and  trembling,  and  prevented  in  a 
great  measure,  that  hypocrisy  and  dissimulation,  by 
which  others  might  flatter  themselves  to  deceive  the 
church.  But  such  instances  of  severity  were  very  ex- 
traordinary; the  power  of  the  apostles  was  generall) 
exerted  in  works  of  mercy  and  beneficence  towards 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  affliction:  they  cured  all 
kinds  of  diseases,  and  cast  out  devils;  so  that  they 
brought  the  sick  into  the  streets,  and  laid  them  on  beds 
and  couches,  that  the  shadow,  at  least  of  Peter,  as  he 
passed  by,  might  cover  some  of  them :  well  knowing, 
a  single  touch  or  word  from  either  of  the  apostles,  was 
sufficient  to  remove  a  disease  of  the  most  inveterate 
nature. 

However,  these  stupendous  works  of  the  apostles, 
and  the  groAving  numbers  of  the  church  alarmed  the 
rulers  of  Israel,  who  seized  the  apostles  and  cast  them 


263.  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

into  prison.  Their  power,  however,  was  limited,  and 
like  the  drop  of  a  bucket  to  the  ocean,  when  opposed 
to  the  Ahiiighty  arm  of  the  great  Jehovah.  The  pri- 
son doors,  though  fastened  with  the  utmost  caution, 
opened  of  themselves  at  the  approach  of  a  messenger 
from  the  court  of  hea^'^en,  who  commanded  the  apos- 
tles to  leave  the  dungeon,  repair  to  the  temple,  and 
preach  the  glad-tidings  of  the  gospel  to  the  people  in 
Jerusalem. 

When  the  officers  returned  in  the  morning,  they  found 
the  prison  doors  shut  and  guarded,  but  the  prisoners 
gone.  This  remarkable  circumstance  greatly  alarmed 
them,  and  they  repaired  to  the  council  to  acquaint  them 
with  wdiat  had  happened.  The  rulers  were  astonished 
at  the  news ;  but  hearing  that  the  apostles  were  teach- 
ing in  the  temple,  they  sent  an  officer  to  bring  them, 
without  the  least  violence  to  their  persons,  before  the 
Sanhedrim,  Their  orders  were  soon  obeyed,  and  the 
disciples  of  Jesus  placed  before  the  same  court,  by 
which  their  Master  had  been  so  lately  condemned. 

Being  thus  brought  before  the  Sanhedrim^  the  high- 
priest  asked  the  apostles  how  they  dared  to  pi'opagate 
a  doctrine  they  had  lately  so  strictly  charged  them  not  to 
preach :  to  which  Peter,  in  the  name  of  the  rest,  repli- 
ed, "  We  certainly  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  man; 
and  though  you  have  so  barbarously  and  contumelious- 
iy  treated  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  yet  God  hath  raised 
him  up  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  to  give  both  re- 
pentance and  remission  of  sins  :  and  of  these  things 
JDOth  Vv^e  are  witnesses,  together  with  the  miraculous 
powers  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  conferred  on  all 
Christians." 

As  the  apostles  delivered  this  answer  with  remarka- 
ble boldness,  it  exasperated  the  council,  and  they  be- 
gan to  consult  how  they  might  destroy  them :  but  Ga- 
maliel, a  grave  and  learned  counsellor,  after  command- 
ing the  apostles  to  withdraw,  desired  them  to  proceed 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER.  253 

with  cUution  in  aii  aftliir  of  this  nature ;  reminding  then^, 
that  several  persons  had  ah-eady  raised  parties,  and 
drawn  great  numbers  of  persons  after  them ;  but  that 
every  one  of  them  had  miscarried,  and  all  their  designs 
were  rendered  abortive  without  the  interposition  of  tliat 
court.  That  they  would  therefore  do  well  to  let  the 
apostles  alone  ;  for  if  their  doctrines  and  designs  were 
of  human  invention,  they  would  come  to  nothing;  but 
if  they  were  of  God,  all  their  powers  and  policy  ^\  ould 
be  of  no  eftcct. 

The  council  were  satisfied  with  this  prudent  and  ra- 
tional advice,  and  after  commanding  the  apostles  to  be 
scourged,  they  strictly  charged  them  to  preach  no  more 
in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  set  them  at  liberty:  but  this 
charge  had  little  eftect  on  the  disciples  of  the  blessed 
Jesus;  they  returned  home  in  triumph,  rejoicing  that 
they  were  thought  worthy  to  suffer  in  so  righteous  a 
cause,  and  to  undergo  shame  and  reproach  for  so  kind 
and  so  powerful  a  Master. 

Hitherto  the  church  of  Jerusalem  had  been  tossed 
with  gentle  storms,  but  now  it  was  overtaken  by  a  more 
violent  tempest,  which  commenced  w  ith  the  death  of 
tlie  protomartyr  Stephen,  and  was  now  carried  on  with 
greater  violence  ;  nor  did  it  end  but  with  the  dispersion 
of  the  disciples,  by  which  means,  the  glad-tidings  of 
the  gospel,  which  had  till  then  been  confmed  to  Judea, 
and  the  professors  of  it  liid  in  secret  places,  was  nov\ 
preached  to  the  Gentile  w  orld,  and  an  ancient  prophecy- 
fulfilled,  which  says  Out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the 
law^  and  the  word  of  tlie  Lord  from  Jerusalem.  Thus 
does  the  Almighty  bring  good  out  of  evil,  and  cause 
the  malicious  intentions  of  the  wicked  to  redound  to 
his  praise,  in  the  further  spreading  of  the  truth. 

The  followers  of  the  blessed  Jes*us  being  thus  dis- 
persed, Philip  the  deacon,  retired  to  Samaria,  where 
he  preached  the  gospel,  and  confirmed  his  doctrine  by 
many  miraculous  cures,  and  casting  out  devils.  In  this 


264  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

city  was  one  Simon,  who,  by  magic  arts  and  diaboKcal 
sorceries,  was  beheld  with  admiration  by  the  people; 
and  some  considered  him  as  the  great  power  of  God; 
a  name  he  blasphemously  gave  himself,  pretending  to 
be  the  first  and  chief  deity,  or  what  every  nation  consi- 
dered as  the  supreme  God.  This  wicked  mortal  hear- 
ing the  sermons  of  Philip,  and  beholding  the  miracles 
wrought  by  him,  became  a  convert  to  the  religion  of 
Jesus,  and  was  baptised  with  others  who  had  embrac- 
ed Christianity. 

Several  of  the  apostles  who  continued  at  Jerusalem, 
were  soon  informed  of  this  remarkable  success  of  Phil- 
ip's ministry  at  Samaria,  and  thought  it  necessary  to 
send  him  assistance.  Accordingly,  Peter  and  John  were 
deputed  to  this  infant  church,  who  having  prayed  and 
laid  their  hands  on  the  new  converts,  they  received  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Such  miraculous  gifts  astonished  the 
magician,  and  desirous  of  obtaining  the  same  privilege, 
he  offered  the  disciples  money  to  invest  him  with  this 
power,  that  on  whomsoever  he  laid  his  hands  he  might 
receive  the  Holy  Ghost ;  but  Peter,  who  perceived  the 
insincerity  of  his  heart,  rejected  his  offer  with  scorn  and 
detestation.  "  Thy  money,  said  that  great  apostle,  perish 
with  thee.  And  as  thy  heart  is  full  of  hypocrisy  and 
deceit,  thou  canst  have  no  shai^e  nor  portion  in  so  great 
a  privilege.  Thou  wouldest  do  well  to  repent  for  so 
monstrous  a  crime,  and  sincerely  apply  thyself  to  seek 
the  Almighty,  that  the  thoughts  of  thy  heart  may  be 
forgiven  thee ;  for  I  perceive  that  thy  temper  and  dispo- 
sition of  mind  is  still  vicious  and  corrupt,  and  that  thou 
art  yet  bound  by  the  chains  of  iniquity,  and  in  a  state 
displeasing  to  the  Almighty,  and  dangerous  to  the  wel- 
fare o^  thy  own  soul," 

This  speech  of  St.  Peter  terrified  Simon,  his  con- 
science flew  in  his  face,  and  he  prayed  the  apostles  to 
make  intercession  for  him  to  the  throne  of  grace,  tliat 
the  Almighty  might  pardon  his  sin,  and  not  inflict  on 
him  those  heavy  judgments  they  had  denounced. 


LIFE  OF  ST.  FETllIt.  t(^^ 

After  tills  violent  storm,  the  church  enjoyed  a  time 
of  calmness  and  serenity  ;  during  which  St.  Peter  went 
to  visit  the  churches  lately  planted  in  those  parts  by 
the  disciples  whom  the  persecution  had  dispersed  :  and 
at  his  arrival  at  Lydda  he  miraculously  healed  Eneas, 
who  had  been  afflicted  w^Ith  the  palsy,  and  confined 
to  his  bed  eight  vears  ;  but  on  Peter's  bidding  him 
arise  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  he  was  immediately  re- 
stored to  perfect  health.  Nor  was  the  success  of  this 
miracle  confined  to  Eneas  and  his  family,  the  fame  of 
it  being  blazed  through  all  the  neighbouring  country, 
and  many  believed  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Son  of  God. 
It  was  even  known  at  Joppa,  a  sea-port  town,  about 
six  miles  from  Lydda  ;  and  the  brethren  immediately 
sent  for  Peter  on  the  following  melancholy  occasion-, 
Tabitha  whose  Greek  name  was  Dorcas,  a  woman 
venerable  for  her  piety  and  extensive  charity,  was 
newly  dead,  to  the  great  lossof  all  mankind  who  loved 
the  paths  of  virtue,  especially  the  poor  and  afflicted, 
who  were  supported  by  her  benevolence. 

When  St.  Peter  arrived,  he  found  her  dressed  for 
her  funeral  solemnity,  and  surrounded  by  mournful 
widows,  who  shewed  the  coats  and  garments  where- 
with she  had  clothed  them,  the  monuments  of  her  li- 
berality :  but  Peter  put  them  all  out,  and  kneeling 
down,  prayed  with  the  utmost  fervency  ;  then  turning- 
to  the  body,  he  commanded  her  to  arise,  and  taking 
her  by  the  hand,  presented  her  in  perfect  health  to  hei 
friends  and  others,  who  were  assembled  to  pay  their 
last  duties  to  so  good  a  woman.  This  miracle  confirm- 
ed those  who  newly  em.braced  the  gospel  of  Jescjs,  and 
converted  many  more  to  the  faith.  After  which,  he 
stayed  a  considerable  time  here,  and  lodged  in  the 
house  of  Simon  a  Tanner,  at  Joppa, 

While  he  abode  in  this  city,  one  day,  when  he  was 
offering  up  his  prayers  to  the  Almighty,  he  found  him- 
self hungry,  and  called  for  meat;  but  while  it  was 
dressing  for  him,  he  fell  into  a  trance,  wherein  wa^ 

VOL.  ii.  1. 1 


S6^  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETEFS 

presented  td  him  a  large  sheet  let  down  from  heaven, 
containing  all  sorts  of  creatures,  clean  and  unclean  ; 
and  at  the  same  time  a  voice  said  to  him,  A?'ise  Peter^ 
kill  and  eat ;  but  the  apostle,  as  yet  tenacious  of  the 
rites  and  institutions  of  the  Mosaic  law,  answered,  that 
his  conscience  refused  to  comply,  having  never  eaten 
anv  thing  that  was  common  or  unclean.  To  which  the 
voice  replied,  *'  That  it  was  unjust  to  consider  that  as 
common  w^hich  God  had  cleansed."  This  was  done 
thrice,  after  which  the  vessel  was  again  drawn  up  to 
heaven,  and  the  vision  disappeared.  By  this  symboli- 
cal representation,  St.  Peter  was  given  to  understand, 
that  the  Almightv  was  now  going  to  send  him  on  a 
new  embassy,  which  the  Spirit  at  the  same  time  com- 
manded him  to  undertake.  While  he  was  still  won- 
dering with  himself  what  the  event  could  prove,  three 
messengers  knocked  at  the  gate,  enquiring  for  him  ; 
and  from  them  he  received  the  following  account  : 
That  Cornelius,  a  Roman  captain  of  a  band  of  Italian 
soldiers  at  Ca^sarea,  a  person  of  great  pietyandreligion, 
one  who  had  been  long  a  proselyte  of  the  gate,  had 
sent  for  him  by  an  immediate  command  from  God. 
Peter  accompanied  with  some  of  the  brethren,  went 
the  next  day  with  the  messengers,  and  soon  after  ar- 
rived at  Ca^sarea. 

Cornelius  having  information  of  his  coming,  had 
summoned  his  friends  and  kindred  to  Caesarea  ;  and 
at  the  apostle's  entering  his  house,  fell  at  his  feet,  a 
method  of  address  frequent  in  the  Eastern  countries; 
but  Peter,  who  considered  that  honour  as  due  only  to 
the  Almighty,  lifted  him  up,  and  declared  to  the  com- 
pany the  reason  of  his  coming,  saying  that  he  had  lately 
learned  that  with  God  there  was  no  respect  of  persons. 

As  soon  as  the  apostle  had  ended  his  speech,  Cor- 
nelius, at  his  request,  related  the  particular  reason  for 
his  sending  for  him.  *'  Four  days  ago,  said  this  Ro- 
man officer,  being  conversant  in  the  duties  of  fasting 
and  prayer,  an  angel  from  the  courts  of  heaven  appear- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER.  sef 

ed  to  me,  declaring  that  my  prayers  and  alms  were 
come  up  as  a  memorial  before  the  throne  of  the  Most 
High  ;  and  at  the  same  time,  ordered  me  to  send  to 
Joppa,  for  one  Simon  Peter,  who  lodged  at  the  house 
of  a  Tanner  near  the  sea-side^  who  would  give  me 
further  information  in  the  duties  of  religion.  Accord- 
ingly, I  made  no  hesitation  to  obey  the  Heavenly  mes- 
senger, but  sent  immediately  for  thee." 

The  apostle  was  at  first  astonished  at  this  relation  of 
the  centurion  ;  but  he  was  soon  convinced  that  God 
had  broken  down  the  partition-wall,  and  no  longer 
maintained  a  peculiar  kindness  tor  the  sons  of  Jacob  ; 
that  it  was  not  the  nation,  but  the  religion  ;  not  the 
external  quality  of  the  man,  but  the  internal  temper 
of  the  mind,  that  recommended  the  human  race  to  the 
favour  of  Omnipotence  :  that  the  devout  and  pious, 
the  righteous  and  the  good  man,  whatever  part  of  the 
the  earth  he  may  inhabit,  is  the  favourite  of  heaven  ; 
that  God  as  highly  respects  a  just  and  virtuous  man  in 
the  barren  wastes  of  Scythia,  as  on  the  mountain  of 
Sion  ;  that  the  reconciling  and  making  peace  between 
God  and  man  by  Jesus  Christ,  was  the  doctrine  pub- 
lished by  the  prophets  of  old  ;  and  that  God  had  now 
anointed  and  consecrated  Jesus  of  IS^azareth  with  di- 
vine power,  in  the  exercise  whereof  he  went  about 
doing  good  to  the  children  of  men. 

At  the  time  that  Peter  was  thus  preaching  to  thehii 
the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon  the  greatest  part  of  his  hear 
ers,  enabling  them  to  speak  several  languages,  and  in 
them  to  magnify  the  great  Creator  of  the  sons  of  men 
At  this  the  Jews,  who  accompanied  Peter,  marvelled 
exceedingly,  to  see  that  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
were  poured  upon  the  Gentiles;  and  Peter  seeing  this, 
told  the  company,  that  he  knew  no  reason  why  these 
persons  should  not  be  baptized,  as  they  had  received 
the  Holy  Ghost  a?  well  as  they  ;  and  accordingly,  ho 
gave  orders  that  they  should  be  baptized  ;  and,  to  con- 
firm them  in  the  holy  faith  they  had  embraced,  he  tai 
lied  some  time  with  them.. 


S65  Lli  L  OF  Si.  PETER. 

Having  thus  finished  his  visitation  to  the  new  plani- 
ed  churches,  Peter  returned  to  Jerusalem,  and  was  in- 
defatigable in  instructing  the  converts  in  the  religion 
of  Jesus,  and  preaching  the  glad-tidings  of  salvation 
to  the  descendants  of  Jacob  :  but  he  did  not  long  con- 
tinue in  this  pleasing  course  ;  Herod  Agrippa,  in  or- 
der to  ingratiate  himself  into  the  favour  of  the  Jews, 
put  St.  James  to  death,  and  finding  the  action  was 
highly  acceptable  to  that  stiff-necked  people,  he  re- 
solved to  extend  his  cruelty  to  Peter,  and  accordingly 
cast  him  into  prison  :  but  the  churches  were  incessant 
in  their  prayers  to  God  for  his  safety  ;  and  what  have 
mortals  to  fear,  when  guarded  by  the  hand  of  Omnip- 
otence !  Herod  was  persuaded  he  should  soon  accom- 
plish his  intentions,  and  sacrifice  Peter  to  the  insatia- 
ble cruelty  of  the  Jews;  - 

The  night  before  the  intended  execution  a  messen- 
ger from  the  court  of  heaven  visited  the  gloomy  dun- 
geon, where  he  found  Peter  asleep  between  his  keep- 
ers. The  angel  raised  him  up,  took  off  his  chains,  or- 
dered him  to  gird  on  his  garments,  and  follow  him : 
Peter  obeyed,  and  having  passed  through  the  first  and 
second  w^atcb.  they  came  to  the  iron  gate  leading  to 
the  city,  which  opened  to  them  of  its  own  accord  :  the 
angelalso  accompanied  him  through  one  of  the  streets, 
and  then  departed  from  him ;  on  which  Peter  came  to 
himself,  and  perceived  that  it  was  no  vision,  but  that 
hk  great  and  beloved  Master  had  really  sent  a  mes- 
senger from  above,  and  released  him  from  prison.  He 
therefore  repaired  to  the  house  of  Mary,  where  the 
church  was  assembled,  and  offering  up  tlieir  prayers 
to  the  throne  of  grace  for  his  safety.  On  his  knocking 
;U  the  door,  a  maid  who  come  to  let  him  in,  knowing 
his  voice,  ran  back  to  tell  them  that  Peter  was  at  the 
door^  which  they  at  first  considered  as  the  effect  of 
tancy  :  but  the  damsel  continuing  to  affirm  that  it  was 
really  true,  they  concluded  it  was'  an  angel  or  some 
messenger  sent  to  him  from  the  court  of  heaven  : 
but  on  opening  the  door,  they  were  convinced  of  their 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER,  269 

mistake,  finding  that  it  was  Peter  himself,  who  briefly 
told  them  how  he  was  delivered,  and,  desiring  them  to 
inform  his  brethren  of  his  being  set  at  liberty,  he  retir- 
ed from  them. 

The  officers  came  in  the  morning  from  Herod  to  the 
prison,  with  orders  to  bring  Peter  out  to  the  people, 
who  were  gathered  together  to  behold  his  execution : 
but  when  they  came  to  the  prison,  the  keepers  informed 
them,  that  the  apostle  had  made  his  escape  ;  which  so 
exasperated  Herod,  that  he  commanded  those  to  be  put 
to  death  who  were  intrusted  with  the  care  of  the  pri- 
soner. 

After  tliis  miraculous  deliverance  of  St.  Peter,  a  con- 
troversy arose  between  the  Jewish  and  the  Gentile  con- 
verts, with  regard  to  the  observation  of  the  Mosaic 
law,  a  dispute  which  gave  great  uneasiness  to  the  minds 
of  many  persons ;  the  Jews  zealously  contending,  that 
it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  salvation  to  be  circum- 
cised, and  observe  the  precepts  of  the  ceremonial  law 
as  well  as  those  of  the  gospel.  To  compose  this  dif? 
ference,  it  was  thought  necessary  to  summon  a  general 
council  of  the  apostles  and  brethren  to  meet  at  Jerusa- 
lem. This  was  accordingly  done,  and  the  case  tho- 
roughly debated. 

At  last  Peter  stood  up,  and  declared,  that  God  hav- 
ing chosen  him  out  of  all  the  apostles  to  be  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel  not  only  to  the  Jews,  but  also  to  the  Geuw 
tiles,  God  who  was  best  able  to  judge  of  the  hearts  of 
men,  had  borne  witness  to  them,  that  they  were  accept* 
ed  of  him  by  giving  them  his  Holy  Spirit,  as  he  had 
done  the  Jews ;  and,  consequently,  that  there  was  no 
difference  between  them. 

St.  Peter's  declaration  convinced  the  church,  and  it 
was  unanimously  decreed,  that  no  other  burthen  than 
the  temporary  observance  of  a  few  particular  precepts,, 
equally  convcjiient  to  Jew  and  Gentile,  should  be  im- 


270  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

posed  on  them  :  and  the  decision  drawn  up  into  asy- 
nodical  epistle,  and  sent  to  the  several  churches,  for 
allaying  the  heats  and  controversies  v^hich  had  been 
occasioned  by  this  dispute. 

Peter  soon  after  left  Jerusalem^  and  went  down  to 
Antioch ;  where,  using  the  liberty  given  him  by  the 
gospel,  he  freely  ate  and  conversed  with  the  Gentile 
proselytes,  considering  them  now  as  fellow -citizens 
tvith  the  saints^  and  of  the  household  oj^God.  This  he 
had  been  taught  by  the  vision  of  the  sheet  let  down 
from  heaven  -,  this  had  been  lately  decreed  at  Jerusa- 
lem ^  this  he  had  before  practised  with  regard  to  Cor- 
nelius and  his  family,  and  justified  the  action  to  the 
satisfaction  of  his  accusers  ;  and  this  he  had  freely  and 
innocently  done  at  Antioch,  till  some  of  the  Jewish 
brethren  coming  thither,  he,  for  fear  of  offending  them, 
withdrew  himself  from  the  Gentiles,  as  if  it  had  been 
unlawful  for  him  to  hold  conversation  with  uncircum- 
cised  persons  ;  notwithstanding  he  knew,  and  was  fully 
satisfied,  that  our  blessed  Saviour  had  broken  down 
the  partition  wall  between  the  Jew^s  and  Gentiles  un- 
der the  gospeL 

Having  thus  acted  against  the  light  of  his  own 
mind  and  judgment,  Peter  condemned  what  he  had 
approved,  and  destroyed  the  superstructure  he  had  be- 
fore erected  -,  at. the  same  thne,  he  confirmed  the  Jew- 
ish zealots  in  their  inveterate  errors,  filled  the  minds  oP 
the  Gentiles  with  scruples,  and  their  consciences  with 
fears.  Nor  was  this  all,  the  old  prejudices  between 
Jew  and  Gentile  were  revived,  and  the  whole  number 
of  Jewish  converts,  following  the  apostle's  examples, 
separated  themselves  from  the  company  of  the  Gentile 
Christians;  nay,  even  Barnabas,  himself  was  carried 
away  by  the  torrent  of  unwarrantable  practice  that 
now  unhappily  prevailed. 

The  apostle  Paul  was  novv  at  Antioch^  and  resolute- 
ly opposed  St.  Peter  to  his  face  ^  he  publicly  reproveci 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER.  271 

him  as  a  person  worthy  to  be  blamed  for  his  gross  pre- 
varication. He  reasoned  and  severely  expostulated 
with  him,  that  he  who  washimselt  a  Jew,  and  conse- 
quently under  a  more  immediate  obligation  oi  observ- 
ing the  Mosaic  law,  should  throw  ofFthe  yoke  himself, 
and  at  the  same  time  endeavour  to  impose  it  on  the 
Gentiles,  who  were  never  under  the  necessity  of  ob- 
serving the  ceremonies  of  the  Israelites ;  a  severe, 
though  an  impartial  charge. 

Thus  far  we  have  had  an  infallible  guide  to  direct 
us  in  writing  the  life  of  this  great  apostle;  but  here 
the  sacred  historian  hath  left  us,  and  therefore  we  must 
have  recourse  to  the  ancients  for  materials  in  the  fur- 
ther prosecution  of  his  history. 

Before  this  contest  at  Antioch,  St.  Peter  had  preach- 
ed the  gospel  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  enlarged 
the  kingdom  of  his  great  Master^  and  spreading  the 
glad-tidings  of  salvation  amongst  the  inhabitants  of 
various  countries  :  and,  amongst  the  rest,  those  of 
ilome,  then  the  mistress  of  the  world.  In  that  capital 
he  is  said  to  have  continued  several  years,  till  the  em- 
peror Claudius  taking  advantage  of  some  seditious  tu- 
mults raised  by  the  Jews,  published  an  edict,  whereby 
they  were  banished  from  Rome,  and  amongst  the  rest 
St.  Peter,  who  returned  to  Jerusalem,  and  was  present 
at  the  synod  already  mentioned  ;  but  how  long  he  con- 
tinued in  the  capital  of  Judea  is  uncertain  ;  for  we 
have  no  account  of  his  transactions  for  many  years. 
This  however  is  certain,  that  he  was  not  idle  in  the 
service  of  his  great  Master;  and  Eusebius  tells  us, 
from  Metaphrastes,  that  he  visited  several  of  the  west- 
ern parts,  and  particularly  the  island  of  Crcat-Brltain, 
where  he  continued  several  years,  spreading  the  glad 
fidings  of  salvation  in  these  remote  parts,  and  convert- 
ing the  several  nations  to  the  faith  of  the  gospel. 

However  this  be,  w^hcther  St.  Peter  was  or  was  not 
in  England,  it  is  certain,  that  to^var(is  the  latter  end 


2/2  LIFE  OF  ST,  PETER. 

of  Nero's  reign  he  returned  to  Rome,  where  he  found 
the  minds  of  the  people  strongly  bewitched,  and  har- 
dened against  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  by  the  sor- 
ceries of  Simon  Magus,  who,  as  I  have  already  ob- 
served, was  chastised  by  Peter  for  his  wickedness  at 
Samaria.  This  Monster  of  impiety  not  only  opposed 
the  preaching  of  the  apostles,  but  also  did  all  in  his 
power  to  render  them  and  their  doctrines  odious  to  the 
emperor.  St.  Peter  foreseeing  that  the  calumnies  of 
Simon  and  his  adherents  would  hasten  his  death,  took 
the  greater  pains,  and  was  still  more  assiduous  to  con- 
firm those  he  had  been  any  ways  instrumental  in  con- 
verting in  the  sublime  truths  they  had  received. 

In  order  to  this,  the  apostle  strongly  opposed  the 
great  deceiver  of  mankind  ;  for  in  the  last  year  of  his 
life,  he  seems  to  have  written  his  two  epistles  to  the 
dispersed  Jews  in  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  and 
Bythinia ;  and,  in  an  appointed  encounter  with  Simon^, 
discovered  his  magical  impostures,  and  through  the 
power  and  the  assistance  of  the  Almighty,  brought  him 
to  an  exemplary  and  miserable  death. 

The  account  of  the  miserable  end  of  this  unhappy 
man  no  sooner  reached  the  emperor's  ears,  than  he 
vowed  revenge,  both  for  the  death  of  his  favourite, 
and  the  endeavours  used  by  the  apostles  to  turn  man- 
kind from  darkness  unto  lights  and  from  the  power  of 
Satan  unto  God,  Accordingly,  he  issued  orders  for 
apprehending  St.  Peter,  together  with  his  companion 
St.  Paul.  St.  Ambrose  tells  us,  that  when  the  people 
perceived  the  danger  to  which  St.  Peter  was  now  ex- 
posed, they  prayed  him  to  quit  Rome,  and  repair  for 
a  while  to  some  secure  retreat,  that  his  life  might  be 
preserved  for  the  benefit  ot  the  church.  Peter,  with 
great  reluctance,  yielded  to  their  entreaties,  and  made 
his  escape  by  night :  but  as  he  passed  the  gate,  he  was;,, 
met  by  a  person  in  the  form  of  his  great  and  beloved 
Master,  and  on  Peter's  asking  him,  whither  he  was 
going,  answered,  *^  To  Rome  to  be  crucified  a  seeoFMi 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER.  3?n 

time  :''  which  Peter  taklni^  for  a  reproof  of  his  coward- 
ice, returned  again  into  the  city,  was  soon  after  appre- 
hended, and  cast,  together  with  St.  Paul,  into  the  Ma- 
mertine  prison.  Here  they  were  confined  eight  or  nine 
months,  but  spent  their  time  in  the  exercise  of  rcHgion, 
especially  in  preaching  to  the  prisoners,  and  those  \vho 
resorted  to  them :  and  during  this  confinement,  it  is 
generally  thought  St.  Peter  wrote  his  second  epistle  to 
the  dispersed  Jews ;  wherein  he  endeavours  to  confirm 
them  in  the  belief  and  practice  of  Christianity,  and  to 
fortify  them  against  those  poisonous  and  pernicious 
principles  and  actions,  which  began  to  break  in  upon, 
the  church,  then  in  its  infancy. 

At  length,  Nero  returning  from  Achla,  entered  Rome 
in  triumph;  and  soon  after  his  arrival,  resolved  that  the 
apostles  should  fall  as  victims  and  sacrifices  to  his  cru- 
eltv  and  revenot^.  WHiile  the  fatal  stroke  was  dailv  ex- 
pected,  the  Christians  in  Rome  were  continually  offer- 
ing up  their  prayers  to  heaven  to  protect  those  two  holy 
persons :  but  the  Almighty  Vv'as  now  willing  to  put  an 
end  to  their  sorrows;  and  after  sealino:  the  truth  thcv 
had  preached  ^vith  then^  own  blood,  to  receive  them  into 
the  regions  of  eternal  bliss  and  happiness,  and  exchange 
their  crowns  of  martyrdom  for  crowns  of  glory.  Ac- 
eoixlingly,  they  were  both  condemned  by  the  cruel  em- 
peror of  Rome;  and  St.  Peter  having  taken  his  fare- 
well of  the  brethren,  especially  St.  Paul,  was  taken 
from  the  prison,  and  led  to  the  top  of  the  Vatican  mount, 
near  the  'Jlber,  w  here  he  was  sentenced  to  surrender  u 
his  life  by  crucifixion* 


i> 


Coming  to  the  place  of  execution,  he  begged  tiic  n- 
V  our  of  the  officers,  that  he  might  not  be  crucified  in 
the  common  manner,  but  ^v  ith  his  head  downwards,  af- 
firming, that  he  was  unworthy  to  sufter  in  the  same  j")os- 
ture  in  which  his  Lord  had  suffered  before  him.  This 
recjuest  was  accordingly  complied  \vith,  and  the  great 
apostle  St.  Peter  surrendered  up  his  soul  into  the  hands 
of  his  great  and  beneficent  Master,   who  came  down 

VOL.  ii.  M  m 


2U  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

from  heaven  to  ransom  mankind  from  destruction,  and 
to  open  the  gates  of  the  heavenly  Canaan  to  all  believers. 

The  body  of  Peter  being  taken  down  from  the  cross, 
is  said  to  have  been  embalmed  by  Mercellinus  the  pres- 
byter, after  the  manner  of  the  Jews,  and  then  buried 
in  the  Vatican,  near  the  Appian-way,  two  miles  from 
Rome.  Here  it  remained  till  the  time  of  pope  Corne- 
lius, who  conveyed  it  to  the  Vatican  at  Rome,  where 
it  rested  in  an  obscure  place,  till  the  reign  of  Constan- 
tine,  who^  from  the  great  reverence  he  entertained  for 
the  Christian  religion,  erected  many  churches  at  Rome, 
and  rebuilt  and  vastly  enlarged  the  Vatican  in  honour  of 
St,  Peter. 

If  we  consider  St.  Peter  as  a  man,  there  will  seem 
to  have  been  a  natural  eagerness  predominant  in  his  tem- 
per,  which  animated  his  soul  to  the  most  bold  and  gen- 
erous undertakings :  but  if  we  consider  him  as  a  disci- 
ple of  the  blessed  Jesus,  we  shall  find  him  exemplary 
in  the  great  duties  of  religion.  To  conclude:  if  we 
consider  him  as  an  apostle,  as  a  pastor,  or  a  shepherd 
of  the  souls  of  men,  we  shall  find  him  faithful  and  dili- 
gent in  his  office,  zealously  endeavouring  to  instruct 
the  ignorant,  reduce  the  erroneous,  strengthen  the  weak, 
confirm  the  strong,  reclaim  the  vicious,  and  turn  the 
children  of  men  into  the  paths  of  righteousness.  He 
never  omitted  any  opportunity  of  preaching  to  the  peo- 
ple and  spreading  the  glad- tidings  of  the  gospel  amongst 
the  human  race:  and  so  pow^erful  were  his  discourses, 
that  he  converted  many  thousands  at  one  time.  How 
many  painful  journics  and  dangerous  voyages  did  he 
imdertake!  With  what  unconquerable  patience  ^did  he 
endure  the  greatest  trials,  surmount  every  difficulty, 
and  remove  every  obstacle,  that  he  might  plant  the  gos- 
pel of  his  beloved  Master!  Never  refusing  even  to  lay 
down  his  life  to  promote  it :  nor  was  he  only  assidious 
to  perform  these  duties  himself;  he  was  also  careful  to 
animate  others  to  do  the  like,  earnestly  pressing  and 
persuading  the  pastors  and  go\  ernors  of  the  church  to 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JUDE.  2^5 

leed  the  flock  of  God,  to  labour  freely  for  the  good  of 
the  souls  of  men,  and  not  undertake  those  offices  to  ac- 
quire advantages  to  themselves;  beseeching  them  to 
treat  the  flock  committed  to  their  care,  with  lenity  and 
gentleness,  and  to  be  themselves  shining  examples  of 
piety  and  religion,  the  surest  method  of  rendering  their 
ministry  successful :  and,  because  it  was  impossible  for 
him  to  be  always  present,  to  teach  and  warn  the  chil- 
dren of  men,  he  endeavoured  by  letters  to  imprint  in 
their  minds  the  practice  of  what  they  had  been  taught: 
a  method,  he  tells  us,  he  was  resolved  to  pursue,  as 
long  as  he  continued  an  inhabitant  of  this  world ;  think- 
ing it  meet,  while  he  was  in  this  tabernacle,  to  stir  up 
the  professors  of  the  gospel,  by  putting  them  in  mind 
of  these  things;  that  so  they  might  be  able  after  his 
decease  to  have  them  alwavs  in  remembrance,  and  not 
let  them  slip  out  of  their  minds., 


ST.  JUDE,  THE  APOSTLE^ 

u)T.  JUDE  is  mentioned  by  three  several  names  in  tht; 
evangelical  history,  namely,  Jude  or  Judas,  Thaddeus^ 
and  Lebbeus.  The  first  he  had  in  common  with  the 
other  Jews,  and  in  honour  of  one  of  the  twehe  patri- 
archs ;  the  other  two  might  be  added  to  the  former, 
partly  to  distinguish  him  from  Judas  the  traitor,  who 
had  rendered  the  name  odious  to  the  Christians,  and 
partly  as  a  commendation  of  his  wisdom  and  zeal:  for 
Lebbeus,  according  to  St.  Jerom,  signifies  a  man  of 
understanding,  and  Thaddeus  imports  divine  favour; 
and  hence  some  of  the  fathers  called  him  Zelotes,  or 
Zealous. 

This  apostle  was  brother  to  St.  James  the  Less,  af 
terwards  bishop  of  Jerusalem,  being  the  son  of  Joseph, 
the  reputed  father  of  Christ,  by  a  former  wife.  It  is 
not  known  when,  or  by  what  means,  he  becam^  a  dis- 


2/6  LIFE  OF  ST.  JUDE, 

ciple  of  our  blessed  Saviour,  nothing  being  said  of  him, 
tillwc  find  him  in  the  catalogue  of  the  twelve  apostles ; 
nor  afterwards  till  Christ's  last  supper,  when  dis- 
coursing with  them  about  his  departure,  and  comfort- 
ing them  with  a  promise,  that  he  would  return  to  them 
again,  meaning  after  his  resmTection,  and  that  the  world 
should  see  him  no  more,  though  they  should  see  him; 
our  apostle  said  to  his  Master,  Lord^  how  is  it  that  thou 
wilt  manifest  thyself  unto  us,  and  not  unto  the  xvorld? 
It  seems,  from  this  question,  that  St.  Jude  expected 
that  the  Messiah  would  establish  a  secular  kingdom ; 
and,  therefore,  could  not  reconcile  the  solemnity  and 
grandeur  of  it,  with  the  private  manifestations  of  Christ 
to  his  disciples  only. 

It  is  affirmed  by  Jerom,  that  Thomas  sent  Jude  the 
apostle  soon  after  our  Lord's  ascension,  to  Edessa,  to 
heal  Abagarus ;  but  this  is  a  mistake,  it  being  Thad- 
deus,  one  of  the  seventy  disciples,  and  not  Judas  Thad- 
deus  the  apostle,  who  was  sent  to  Abagarus. 

We  are  told  by  Paulinus,  that  the  province  which 
fell  to  the  share  of  St.  Jude  in  the  apostolic  division, 
of  the  provinces,  "was  Lybia ;  but  he  does  not  tell  us, 
whether  it  was  the  Cyrenean  Lybia,  which  is  thought 
to  have  received  the  gospel  from  St.  Mark,  or  the  more 
bouthern  part  of  Africa :  but  however  that  be,  in  his 
first  setting  out  to  preach  the  gospel,  he  travelled  up  and 
down  Judea  and  Galilee;  then  through  Samaria  into 
Idumea,  and  to  ihe  cities  of  Arabia,  and  the  neighbour- 
ing countries,  and  afterwards  to  Syria  and  Mesopota- 
mia. Nicephorus,  adds,  that  he  came  at  last  to  Edessa, 
where  Abaragus  governed,  and  where  Thaddeus,  one 
of  the  seventy,  had  already  sown  the  seeds  of  the  gos- 
pel. Here  he  perfected  what  the  other  had  begun ; 
and  having  by  his  sermons  and  miracles  establislied 
die  religion  of  Jesus,  he  died  in  peace;  but  others 
say  that  he  was  slain  at  Berytes,  and  honourablv  buried 
there. 


LIFE  OF  ST.  JUDE.  ^77 

The  writers  of  the  Latin  church  are  unanimous  in 
declaring-,  that  St.  Jude  travelled  into  Persia,  where, 
after  great  success  in  his  apostolical  ministry  for  many- 
years,  he  was  at  last,  for  his  free  and  open  reproving 
the  superstitious  rites  and  customs  of  the  Magi,  cru- 
elly put  to  death  by  the  enemies  of  the  gospel. 

We  do  not  find  that  St.  Jude  left  more  than  one  epis- 
tle, which  is  placed  the  last  of  those  seven,  styled  cath- 
olic, in  the  sacred  canon.  It  hath  no  particular  inscrip- 
tion, as  the  other  six  ha^'e,  but  is  thought  to  have  been 
primarily  intended  for  the  Christian  Jews,  in  their  sev- 
eral dispersions,  as  St.  Peter's  epistles  were.  In  it  he 
he  tells  them,  ^'  That  he  at  first  intended  to  write  to  them 
in  general  of  the  common  salvation,  and  establish  and 
confirm  them  in  it:  but  seeing  the  doctrine  of  Christ 
attacked  on  every  side  by  Hereticks,  he  conceived  it 
more  necessary  to  spend  his  time  in  exhorting  them  to 
fight  manfully  in  defence  of  tJie  faith  once  delivered  to 
the  saints,  and  oppose  the  false  teachers  who  laboured 
so  indefatigably  to  corrupt  the  truth." 

It  is  generally  understood,  the  Heretics  mcani  in  this 
epistle,  were  the  Kicolatans,  the  Gnostics,  tly*  follow- 
ers of  Simon  Magus  and  others  of  the  same  kiiid,  whose 
morals  were  as  corrupt  as  their  doctrine,  trusting  to  a 
faith  without  works,  as  sufficient  to  their  salvation  :  so 
that  the  subject  of  St.  Jude's  epistle  is  nearly  the  same 
with  that  of  the  second  of  St.  Peter,  whose  sense  he 
generally  follows,  and  often  uses  the  very  same  expres- 
sions  :  only  as  the  infection  had  spread  itself  further, 
imd  had  gotten  more  ground,  he  seems  to  oppose  diose 
Heretics  with  more  zeal  and  sharpness  than  Peter  had 
done  :  but  because  true  Christian  charity,  though  it  be 
zealous,  yet  is  without  bitterness  and  hatred,  he  exhorts 
the  Christians  to  use  gentle  methods  with  those  de- 
luded people,  and  to  pluck  them  as  brands  out  of  the 
fire ;  meaning  by  fire,  iheir  impious  principles  and  prac- 
tices, which  if  continued  in,  would  certainly  consume 
them.     He  seems  expressly  to  cite  St.  Peter's  second 


278  LIFE  OF  ST.  JUDE. 

epistle,  and  to  intimate  plainly  that  most  of  the  apostles 
were  dead;  so  that  his  epistle  seems  not  to  have  been 
written  till  after  Nero's  reign  and  the  destruction  of  Je- 
rusalem by  the  Romans. 

This  epistle  was  not  at  first  generally  received  in  the 
church ;  the  author  indeed,  like  James,  John,  and  some- 
times Paul  himself,  does  not  call  himself  an  apostle, 
styling  himself  only  the  servant  of  Christ ;  but  he  has 
added  what  is  equivalent,  Jude  the  brother  of  James,  a 
character  that  can  belong  to  none  but  our  apostle  :  and 
surely  the  humility  of  a  follower  of  Je  s  us  should  be  no 
objection  against  his  wtI tings,  but  rather  a  recommen- 
dation of  them. 

One  great  objection  against  this  Cpistle,  was  the  apos- 
tle's mentioning  the  tradition  of  Michael  the  archangel 
contending  with  the  Devil  about  the  body  of  Moses, 
but  he  has  done  no  more  than  St.  Paul  in  naming  Jan- 
nes  and  Jambres  ;  namely,  alleging  a  story  which  was 
then  current  and  acknowledged  by  the  Jews,  though 
nothing  of  it  was  inserted  in  the  sacred  writings,  so 
that  St.  Jude  reasons  with  the  Jews  from  their  own  au- 
thors and  concessions,  the  more  easily  to  convince  and 
confute  them. 

We  have  now,  we  trust,  obviated  the  difficulties  that 
have  arisen,  concerning  the  epistle  of  St.  Jude ;  and 
Eusebius  tells  us,  that  in  his  time  most  churches  read 
it  publicly  :  it  is  indeed  evident,  that  before  the  close 
of  the  fourth  age,  it  was  acknowledged  as  canonical 
Scripture,  in  the  councils  of  Laodicea  and  Carthage  by 
general  consent. 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF  ST,  THOMAS 

The  Apostle, 

A  HE  Jews,  when  they  travelled  into  foreign  coun- 
tries, or  familiarly  conversed  with  the  Greeks  and  Ro- 
mans, were  wont  to  assume  a  Latin  name  of  the  same 
signification,  or  at  least  that  bore  some  afiinity  with 
that  by  which  they  were  known  in  their  own  country. 
Thus  our  blessed  Saviour  was  called  Christ,  answer- 
ing to  his  Hebrew  title  Messiah^  the  anointed  :  Simon 
who  was  called  Cephas  in  Hebrew,  was  styled  Petros 
in  Greek,  both  signifying  a  rock  :  Tabithuy  was  called 
Doreas,  both  signifying  a  goat :  and  thus  Thomas,  ac- 
cording to  the  Syriac  import  of  his  name,  was  called 
Di/dimus,  a  twin,  which  is  the  meaning  of  both  appella- 
tions. 

There  is  no  mention  in  the  evangelical  hi-itory  either 
of  the  country  or  kindred  of  St.  Thomas  :  it  is  ho\\'- 
ever  certain  that  he  was  a  Jew,  and  in  all  probability  a 
Galilean.  Metaphrastes  tells  us,  that  he  was  decended 
from  very  mean  parents,  who  brought  hnii  up  to  the  trade 
of  fishing  ;  but  at  the  same  time,  took  care  to  gi\e  him  a 
more  useful  education,  instructing  him  in  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Scriptine,  whereby  he  learned  wisely  to  re- 
gulate his  conduct. 

This  apostle  was,  togetlier  A\itht]ie  rest,  called  to  the 
apostleship  and  not  long  after  gave  an  eminent  instance 
of  his  being  ready  to  undergo  the  most  melanchol}-  fate 
that  might  attend  him  :  for  when  the  rest  of  the  apos- 
tles were  dissuadins:  their  Muster  from  iJ-oin^r  into  Juden 
at  the  time  of  Lazarus's  death,  because  the  Jews  lately 
endeavoured  to  stone  him,  Thomas  desired  them  not  to 
Jiinder  his  journey  thither,  though  it  might  cost  them 
all  their  lives  :  Let  us  go,  said  he,  that  xve  may  die  with 
him :  conGluding.  that  instead  of  Laztu'us  being  raised 


^SO  LIFE  OF  ST.  THOMAS. 

from  the  dead,  they  should  all,  like  him,  be  placed  in 
the  chambers  of  the  dust. 

The  holy  Je  sus,  a  little  before  his  suffering,  had  been 
speaking  to  them  of  the  joys  of  heaven,  and  had  told 
them,  that  he  was  going  to  prepare  mansions  for  them, 
that  they  might  follow  him,  and  that  they  knew  both  the 
place  whither  he  was  going,  and  the  way  thither ;  on 
hearing  this,  our  apostle  replied,  that  they  knew  not 
whither  he  was  going,  much  less  the*  way  that  would 
lead  them  thither.  To  which  our  Lord  returned  this 
short  but  satisfactory  answer,  lam  the  vmt/  ;  lam  the 
person  whom  the  Father  hath  sent  into  the  world  to 
shew  mankind  the  paths  that  lead  to  eternal  life,  and 
therefore  you  cannot  miss  the  way  if  you  follow  my 
example,  and  obey  my  precepts. 

The  minds  of  the  disciples,  w^ho  had  seen  their  great 
Master  expire  on  the  cross,  were  distracted  by  hopes 
and  fears  concerning  his  resurrection,  about  which  they 
were  not  then  fully  satisfied  which  engaged  him  the 
sooner  to  hasten  his  appearance,  that  by  the  sensible 
manifestations  of  himself  he  might  put  the  matter  be- 
yond  all  possibility  of  dispute.  Accordingly,  the  very 
day  on  which  he  arose  from  the  dead,  he  came  into  the 
house  where  they  v/ere  assembled,  while,  for  fear  of  the 
Jews,  the  doors  were  close  shut,and  gave  them  sufficient 
assurance,  that  he  was  risen  from  the  dead.  Thomas  was 
not  present  at  this  meeting,  having  probably  never 
rejoined  their  company  since  their  dispersion  in  the 
garden,  when  every  one's  fears  prompted  him  to  con- 
sult his  own  safetv.  At  his  return,  thev  told  him,  that 
the  Lord  had  aj^peared  to  them,  but  he  obstinately  re- 
fused to  give  credit  to  what  they  said,  or  to  believe  that 
it  was  really  he,  presuming  it  rather  a  spectre  or  appa- 
rition, unless  he  might  see  the  very  print  of  the  nails, 
and  feel  the  wounds  in  his  hands  and  side :  a  strong 
piece  of  infidelity  !  Was  it  any  thing  more  than  what- 
Moses  and  the  prophets  had  long  since  foretold  ?  Had 
not  our  Lord  frequently  declared  in  plain  tefms,  that  he 


LIIE  or  ST.  THOMAJv.  2«?l 

^luist  rise  from  the  dead  the  third  day  ?  And  could  tliejr 
question  the  possibiUty  of  what  he  toid  them,  when  thf:y 
had  so  often  seen  him  work  the  greatest  miracles  ? 

The  stubbornness  of  Thomas,  on  this  occasion, 
might  have  betrayed  him  into  an  eternal  infidcHty  ;  but 
our  compassionate  Saviour  would  not  take  the  advan- 
tage of  his  perverse  obstinacy  ;  for,  on  that  day  seven- 
niglit  he  came  again  to  them,  as  they  were  met  at  their 
solemn  devotions,  and,  calling  to  Thomas,  bade  him 
look  upon  his  hands,  put  his  fmgers  into  the  print  of 
the  nails,  and  thrust  his  himd  into  his  side,  to  i-atisfy  his 
faith  by  a  demonstration  from  the  senses.  Thomas 
was  soon  convinced  of  his  error  and  obstinacy,  confess- 
ingthat  he  now  acknowledged  him  to  be  his  Lord  and 
Mastei*,  a  God  omnipotent,  as  he  was  thus  able  to  res- 
cue himself  from  the  power  of  death.  Our  Lord  an- 
swered, that  it  was  happy  for  him  that  he  believed  the 
testim.ony  of  his  own  senses ;  but  that  it  was  a  more  noble 
and  commendable  act  of  fl\ith,  to  acquiesce  in  a  rational 
evidence,  and  to  receive  the  doctrines  and  precepts  of  the 
gospel  upon  such  testimonies  and  assurances  as  will  sat- 
isfy a  wise  and  sober  man^  though  he  did  not  himself 
behold  them. 

After  the  blessed  Jesus  had  left  this  vale  of  n.isu)^ 
and  bestowed  eminent  gifts  and  miraculous  powers  on 
the  apostles,  St.  Thomas,  as  well  as  the  rest,  preached 
the  gospel  in  several  parts  of  Judea  i  and,  after  the  dis- 
persion of  tlte  Christian  church  in  Jerusalem,  repaired 
:<nto  Parthia,  the  province  assigned  him  for  his  ministry. 
After  which,  as  Sempronius  and  others  inform  us,  he 
preached  the  gospel  to  the  Medes,  Persians,  Caram.ani- 
ans,  Hvrcanis,Bactarians,and  the  neis^hbourins'  nationsr 

Departing  from  Persia  he  travelled  into  Ethiopia, 
preaching  the  glad- tidings  of  the  Gospel,  healing  the 
sick,  and  working  other  miracles  to  prove  he  had  his 
commission  from  on  hiiHi.  And  after  travelling:  throuah 
these  countries  he  entered  the  Lidian  tcrritorit-s. 

^^or.,  il,  M  n 


2&2  LIFE  OF  ST,  THOMAS. 

We  are  told  by  Nicephorus,  that  he  was  at  first  unwil-. 
ling  to  enter  these  conntries,  fearing  he  should  find  their 
manners  as  rude  and  intractable  as  their  faces  were 
black  and  deformed,  till  encouraged  by  a  vision  where- 
in he  was  assured  of  the  Divine  Presence  to  assist  him. 
He  travelled  a  great  way  into  the  Eastern  countries, 
and  even  visited  the  island  Taprobane,  since  called  Su- 
matra, and  the  country  of  the  Brachmans,  preaching 
evcrv  where  with  the  greatest  gentleness,  and  using  the 
most  persuasive  discourses,  not  flying  out  into  invec- 
tives against  their  idolatrous  practices,  but  calmly  in- 
structing them  in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  persua- 
ding them  by  degrees  to  renounce  their  follies,  well 
knowing  that  confirmed  habits  must  be  cured  by  pa- 
tience and  forbearance,  by  slow^  and  gentle  methods ; 
and  by  these  means  he  reclaimed  the  people  from  the 
grossest  errors  and  superstitions,  to  an  hearty  belief  and 
reception  of  Christianity, 

The  Portuguese,  when  they  first  visited  these  coun- 
tries, after  their  discovery  of  a  passage  by  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  received  the  following  particulai's,  partly 
from  ancient  monuments^  and  partly  from  constant 
and  uiicontroverted  traditions  preserved  by  the  Chris- 
tians in  those  parts  ;  namely,  that  St.  Thomas  came 
first  to  Socotora,  an  island  in  the  Arabian  sea,  and 
thence  to  Cranganor,  where,  having  converted  many 
from  the  error  of  their  ways,  he  travelled  further 
into  the  East :  and  having  successfully  preached  the 
gospel,  returned  back  to  the  kingdom  of  Coromandek 
where  at  Mallipur,  the  metropolis  of  the  kingdom,  not 
far  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ganges,  he  began  to  erect  a 
place  for  divine  worship,  till  prohibited  by  the  idolatrous 
priests,  as  ^Aell  as  by  Sagamo,  prince  of  that  country  : 
but  after  performing  several  miracles,  the  work  was  suf- 
fered to  proceed,  and  Sagamo  himself  embraced  the 
Christian  faith,  whose  example  was  soon  followed  by 
great  numbers  of  his  subjects  and  attendants. 

The  Brachmans  were  greatly  alarmed  at  this  remark- 
le  success^  as  they  plainly  perceived  that  their  reli- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  ANDRFAV.  2^3 

gion  would  soon  be  extirpated,  unless  some  method 
could  be  found  of  puttinj^  a  stop  to  the  progress  of 
Christianity  :  and  therefore  resolved  to  put  the  apostle 
to  death.  At  a  small  distance  from  the  citv  was  a  tomb, 
whither  St.  Thomas  often  retired  for  private  devotiouiv 
Hither  the  Brachmans  and  their  armed  followers  pur- 
sued him,  and  while  he  was  intent  at  prayer,  they  first 
shot  at  him  a  shower  of  darts,  after  which,  one  of  the 
priests  ran  him  through  with  a  lance.  His  body  was 
taken  up  by  his  disciples,  and  buried  in  the  chiu'ch  he 
had  lately  erected,  and  which  was  afterWcU^ds  improved 
into  a  stately  and  magnificent  fabric. 

According  to  Chrysostom,  St.  Thomas,  \\\\o  at  fu'st 
was  the  weakest  and  most  incredulous  of  all  the  apos- 
tles, became  through  Christ's  condescension  to  satis- 
fy his  scruples,  and  the  power  of  divine  grace,  the  most 
active  and  invincible  of  them  all ;  travelling  over  moiit 
parts  of  the  world,  and  living  without  fear  in  the  midst 
of  barbarous  nations,  for  the  propagation  of  the  Clp'i*;" 
tian  fliith.  • 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF  ST.  ANDREW, 

The  Apostle, 

jTaLTIIOUGH  the  sacred  historians  have  largely  de- 
scribed the  transactions  of  Peter  and  Paul,  yet  we  find 
they  have  been  sparing  in  their  accounts  of  the  othei- 
apostles,  giving  us  only  now  and  then  a  few  obli(|ue 
strokes  and  accidental  remarks  concernin^c  them.  Whv 
no  more  of  their  respective  actions  were  recorded  by 
the  penmen  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  is  to  us  unkno\\'n  : 
perhaps  Divine  Providence  thought  ii  convenient  that 
no  further  account  should  be  given  of  the  first  planting 
of  Christianity  in  the  world,  than  what  concerned  Ju- 
dea,  and  the  neighbouring  countries,  at  least  the  most 
eminent  places  in  the  Roman  empire,  that  the  tvutl)  pf 


28i  LIFE  OF  ST.  ANDREW. 

the  prophetical  predictions  might  appear,  which  hai 
foretold,  That  the  laxv  of  the  Messiah  should  come  forth 
from  Zion,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem. 
Besides  a  particular  relation  of  the  acts  of  so  many  apos- 
tles, performed  in  so  many  countries,  must  have  swel- 
led the  sacred  volumes  to  an  enormous  bulk,  and  con- 
sequently rendered  them  less  serviceable  to  the  use  of 
Christians  in  f^-eneral. 

The  Apostle  St.  Andrew  was  born  at  Bethsaida,  a 
city  of  Galilee,  built  on  the  banks  of  the  lake  of  Gen- 
nesarcth,  and  was  the  son  to  John  or  Jonas,  a  fisherman 
of  that  town.  He  was  brother  to  Simon  Peter,  but  whe- 
ther elder  or  younger,  i^  not  certainly  known  though 
the  generality  of  the  ancients  intimate  that  he  was  the 
younger  :  but,  however  that  be,  he  was  brought  up  to 
his  father's  trade,  at  which  he  laboured  till  our  blessed 
Saviour  called  him  to  be  a  fisher  of  men,  for  which  he 
was,  by  some  preparatory  institutions  qualified  even 
before  the  appearance  of  the  Messiah,  in  his  public  cha- 
racter. 

We  are  told  by  the  evangelist,  that  John  the  Bap- 
tist had  lately  preached  the  doctrine  of  repentance  ;  and 
was,  by  the  generality  of  the  Jews,  from  the  impartial- 
ity of  his  precepts,  and  the  remarkable  strictness  and 
austerity  of  his  life,  held  in  great  veneration.  He  train- 
ed up  his  proselytes  under  the  discipline  of  repentance, 
and,  by  urging  on  them  a  severe  change  and  reforma- 
tion of  life,  prepared  them  to  entertain  the  doctrine  of 
the  Messiah,  whose  approach  he  told  them  was  now 
near  at  hand  ;  representing  to  them  the  greatness  of  his 
person,  and  the  importance  of  the  design  fgr  which  he 
came  into  the  world. 

Besides  the  multitudes  that  flocked  to  the  Baptist's 
discourses,  he  accordingly  to  the  custom  of  the  Jewish 
master's  had  some  peculiar  and  select  disciples,  wh^ 
more  constantly  attended  on  his  lectures,  and  generally' 
waited  upon  his  person.     In  the  number  of  these  foi- 


LIFE  OF  ST.  ANDREW.  H9M 

lowers  was  our  apostle ;  who  was  with  him  beyond 
Jordan,  when  the  Messiah,  who  had  some  time  before 
been  baptised,  eame  that  way.  Upon  his  approach, 
tlie  Baptist  pointed  him  out  as  the  Messiah,  styhnghim 
the  Lamb  of  God^  the  true  sacrifice,  that  was  to  expiate 
the  sins  of  the  world. 

As  soon  a^  the  Baptist  had  given  this  character  of 
Jesus,  Andrew,  and  another  disciple, probably  St.  John 
followed  the  Saviour  of  mankind  to  the  place  of  his 
abode  ;  from  whence,  after  some  conversation  with  him 
Andrew  departed,  and  having  found  his  brother  Simon., 
informed  him  that  he  had  discovered  the  great  Messi- 
ali,  so  long  expected  by  the  house  of  Jacob  ;  and  ac- 
cordingly, brought  him  to  Jesus.  They  did  not,  how- 
ever, stay  long  with  their  Master,  but  returned  to  their 
occupation. 

Upwards  of  a  year  afterwards,  Jesus  passing  through 
Galilee,  found  Andrew  and  Peter  fishing  on  the  sea  of 
Galilee,  where  he  fviHy  satisfied  them  of  the  greatness 
and  divinity  of  his  person,  by  a  miraculous  draught  of 
fishes  which  they  took  at  his  command.  He  now  told 
them,  that  they  should  enter  on  a  different  series  of  la- 
bours, and  instead  of  fish  they  should  by  the  efficacy 
and  iniiuence  of  their  doctrine,  catch  men ;  command- 
ing them  to  follow  him,  as  his  immediate  disciples  and 
attendants  ;  and  they  accordingly  left  all  and  followed 
him  immediately. 

Andrew,  together  with  the  rest  was  shortly  after  called 
to  the  office  and  honour  of  the  apostolate,  and  made 
choice  of  to  be  one  of  Christ's  immediate  vicegerents 
for  planting  and  propagating  the  Church. 

We  learn  from  the  sacred  historian,  that  after  the  as- 
cension of  the  blessed  Jesus  into  heaven,  and  the  Holv 
Ghost  had  descended  in  a  visible  manner  on  the  apos- 
tles, St.  Andrew  was  chosen  to  preach  the  gospel  in 
Scythii^,  and  the  countries  adjacent.  He  accordingly  dc 


286  LIFE  OF  ST.  ANDREW. 

parted  from  Jerusalem,  and  first  travelled  through  Cap,- 
padocia,  Galatia,  and  Bithynia,  instructing  the  inhabi- 
tants in  the  faith  of  Christ,  and  continued  his  jour- 
ney along  the  Euxine  sea  into  the  solitudes  of  Scythia. 

St.  Andrew  afterwards  arrived  at  Sinope,  a  city  situa- 
ted on  the  same  sea,  and  famous  both  for  the  birth  and 
burial  of  king  Mithridates  :  here  he  met  with  his  bro- 
ther Peter,  and  staid  with  him  a  considerable  time  at 
this  place.  The  inhabitants  of  Smope  were  mostly 
Jews,  who  partly  from  a  zeal  for  their  religion,  and 
partly  from  their  barbarous  manner,  were  exasperated 
against  St.  Andrew,  and  entered  into  a  confederacy  to 
burn  the  house  in  which  he  lodged :  but  being  disap- 
pointed in  this  design,  they  treated  him  with  the  most 
savage  cruelty,  throwing  him  on  the  ground,  stamping 
upon  him  with  tlieir  feet,  pulling  and  dragging  him  from 
place  to  place :  some  beating  him  with  clubs,  some 
pelting  him  with  stones,  and  others  to  satisfy  their  bru- 
tal revenge,  biting  oft  his  flesh  with  their  teeth;  till  ap- 
prehending they  had  cntireljv  deprived  him  of  life,  they 
cast  him  out  into  the  fields  :  but  he  miraculously  re- 
covered, and  returned  publicly  into  the  city  ;  by  which 
and  other  miracles  he  wrought  among  them,  he  con- 
verted many  from  the  error  of  their  ways,  and  induced 
them  to  become  disciples  of  the  Son  of  God. 

x\fter  departing  from  Sinope,  he  returned  to  Amynsus, 
passed  from  thence  through  Trapezius,  and  Neocaesarea 
to  Samosata,  where  he  silenced  the  accutest  and  wisest 
philosophers  of  that  country ;  and,  having  spent  some 
time  there  in  preaching  the  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel, 
he  returned  to  Jerusalem  :  but  he  did  not  continue  long 
in  his  native  country,  returning  again  to  the  province 
allotted  him  for  the  exercise  of  his  ministry,  travelling 
first  into  the  country  of  the  Abasgi,  and  had  great  suc- 
cess in  the  gospel  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  Se- 
bastople,  situated  on  the  eastern  shore  of .^ the  Euxine 
sea,  between  the  rivers  Phasis,  and  Absarus ;  from 
thence  he  removed  into  the  countrv  of  the  Zecchi,  and 


LIFE  OF  ST.  ANDRLW.  SlBT 

the  Bosphoroni ;  but  findlnj^  the  people  remarkably 
barbarous  aud  intractable,  he  did  not  stay  long  amoni^st 
them,  except  at  Cherson,  a  large  and  populous  city 
within  the  Bosphorus,  where  he  had  great  success  in 
his  ministry  ;  and  therefore  continued  some  time  with 
the  new  converts  to  instruct  and  confirm  them  in  the 
faith.  From  this  city  he  passed  to  Sinope,  the  royal 
seat  of  Mithridates  to  encourage  and  confirm  the  church- 
es he  had  planted  in  those  parts  ;  and  here  he  ordained 
Philologos,  formerly  one  of  St.  Paul's  disciples,  bishop 
thereof. 

St.  Andrew,  after  leaving  Sinope,  came  to  Byzanti- 
um, since  called  Constantinople,  where  he  instructed  the 
inhabitants  in  the  Christian  religion,  founded  a  church 
for  divine  worship,  and  ordained  vStachys,  first  bishop 
of  that  place :  but  being  banished  from  the  city,  he  fled 
to  Argyropolis,  where  he  preached  the  gospel  for  two 
years  together  with  remarkable  success,  converting- 
great  numbers  to  the  Christian  faith.  He  next  travelled, 
over  Thrace,  Macedonia,  Thessaly,  Achaia,  and  Epi- 
rus,  preaching  the  gospel,  propagating  Christianity,  and 
confirming  the  doctrine  he  had  taught  with  signs  and 
miracles.  At  last  he  came  to  Petrea,  a  city  of  Achaia, 
where  he  gave  his  last  and  greatest  testimony  to  the 
gospel  of  his  divine  Master  ;  we  mean  he  sealed  it  with 
his  blood,  and  received  the  crown  of  martyrdom  by 
the  following  means. 

iEgeas,  who  was  proconsul  of  Achaia,  came  at  this 
time  to  Patrea  where  observing  that  multitudes  hacf 
abandoned  the  heathen  religion,  and  embraced  Chris- 
tianity he  had  recourse  to  every  method  both  of  favour 
and  cruelty,  to  reduce  the  people  to  their  old  idolatry^ 
The  apostle,  whom  no  difficulties  or  dangers  could  de- 
ter from  performing  the  duties  of  his  'ministry,  ad- 
dressed tlie  proconsul,  and  calmly  put  him  in  mindj 
that  being  only  a  judge  of  men,  he  ought  to  revere  him 
who  was  the  supreme  and  impartial  Judge  of  all,  pay 
him  the  divine  honoiirs  due  to  his  exalted  Majesty,  and- 


:.3S  LIFE  OF  ST.  ANDREW. 

abandon  the  impieties  of  his  idolatrous  worship.  The 
proconsul,  instead  of  assenting  to  these  arguments  of 
the  apostle,  ridiculed  him  as  an  innovator  in  religion, 
and  a  propagator  of  that  superstition,  whose  author  the 
Jews  had  put  to  the  infamous  death  on  the  cross.  On 
Iiis  mentioning  the  cross,  our  apostle  took  the  opportu- 
nity of  representing  to  him  the  infinite  love  and  kind- 
ness of  our  great  Redeemer ;  who  came  down  from  hea- 
ven to  purchase  the  salvation  of  mankind  ;  and  to  ob- 
tain it,  did  not  disdain  to  die  upon  the  cross.  The  pro- 
consul answered,  that  he  might  hc^e  to  persuade  the 
credulous  multitude  of  the  truth  of  what  he  said ;  but, 
ibr  his  part,  he  would  not  listen  to  such  a  legendary  tale ;' 
and  if  he  did  not  comply  with  him  in  doing  sacrifice  to 
the  gods,  he  would  cause  him  to  suffer  upon  that  cross 
lie  so  highly  magnified.  St.  Andrew  replied,  that  he 
^sacri{iced  every  day  to  God,  the  only  true  and  omnip- 
lent  being,  not  with  fumes  and  bloody  ofi'ering,  but^ 
in  the  sacrifice  of  the  immaculate  Lamb  of  God.  This 
answer  provoked  the  proconsul,  and  he  committed  the 
apostle  to  prison ;  which  so  exasperated  the  peoplcy 
that  a  mutiny  would  have  ensued,  had  not  St.  Andre vr 
appeased  them,  persuading  them  to  imitate  the  mild- 
ness and  patience  of  the  meek  and  humble  Jesus,  and 
not  liinder  him  from  receiving  the  crown  of  martyrdom^ 
which  he  was  now  going  to  receive. 

He  was  brought  again  the  next  day  before  the  procon- 
sul, who  persuaded  him  not  foolishly  to  throw  away  his- 
life 5  but  preserve  it,  and  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  the  world. 
The  apostle  told  him,  that  if  he  would  renounce  his 
idolatries  and  heartily  embrace  the  Christian  faith,  he 
,'ihould,  with  him  and  the  members  v/ho  had  believed 
HI  the  Son  of  God  receive  eternal  happiness  in  the  Mes- 
siali's  kingdom.  The  proconsul  answered,  that  he  him- 
self should  never  embrace  the  religion  he  mentioned  ; 
and  that  the  only  reason  v/hy  he  was  so  earnest  with  him: 
to  sacrifice  to  the  gods,  was  that  those  whom  he  had 
^livery  where  seduced,  might,  by  his  example,  be> 
r^rought  back  to  the  ancient  religion  they  had  forsakem' 


LIFE  OF  ST.  ANDREW.  ^^9^ 

I'd  which  the  apostle  replied,  that  he  saw  it  was  in 
vain  to  endeavour  to  persuade  a  person  incapable  of 
sober  counsels,  and  hardened  in  his  own  blindnessand 
folly;  that  with  regard  to  himself,  he  might  act  as  he 
pleased,  and  if  he  had  any  torment  greater  than  ano- 
ther, he  might  heap  that  upon  him;  as  the  greater  con- 
stancy he  shewed  in  his  sufferings  for  Christ,  the  more 
acceptable  he  should  be  to  his  Lord  and  Master, 
i^geas,  upon  this,  immediately  passed  sentence  of 
death  upon  him,  not  being  able  to  restrain  his  rage 
any  longer. 

The  proconsul  first  ordered  St.  Andrew  to  be  scourg- 
ed, seven  lictors  successively  whipping  his  naked  body  5 
and,  seeing  his  invincible  patience  and  constancy^ 
commanded  him  to  be  crucified;  but  to  be  fastened 
to  the  cross  with  cords  instead  of  nails,  that  his  death 
might  be  more  lingering  and  tedious.  As  he  v^'as  led 
to  the  place  of  execution,  walking  with  a  cheerful 
and  composed  mind,  the  people  cried  out  that  a  good 
and  innocent  man  was  unjustly  condenined  to  die.  Oil 
his  coming  near  the  cross,  he  saluted  it  in  the  follow- 
ing manner:  I  have  long  desired  and  expected  this? 
happy  hour.  The  cross  has  been  corisecrated  by  the 
body  of  Christ  hanging  on  it,  and  adorned  with  hi? 
xnembersaswithsomanyinestimable  jewels:  I  therefore 
come  joyfully  and  triumphing  to  it,  that  it  may  receive 
me  as  a  disciple  and  follower  of  him  who  once  hune^ 
upon  it,  and  be  the  means  of  carrying  me  safe  to  mv 
Master,  being  the  instrument  on  which  he  redeemed 
me  and  all  his  people  from  everlasting  misery." 

Having  offered  up  his  prayers  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
and  exhorted  the  people  to  constancy  and  persever- 
ance in  the  religion  he  had  delivered  to  them,  he  was 
fastened  to  the  cross,  on  which  he  hung  two  whole 
days,  teaching  and  instructing  the  people.  In  the 
mean  time,  great  interest  was  made  to  the  proconsul 
to  spare  his  life;  but  the  apostle  earnestly  begged  of 
ihe  Almighty,  that  he  might  now  depart*  and  seal  the 

TOL.  ii,  00 


2f<y  LIFE  OF  ST.  ANDREW. 

truth  of  his  religion  with  his  blood.  His  prayers  were 
heard,  and  he  immediately  expired  on  the  last  day  of 
November^  but  in  what  year  is  not  recorded  by  histo- 
rians. 

The  cross  on  which  he  suffered,  appears  to  have 
something  peculiar  in  the  form  of  it,  and  is  common- 
ly thought  to  have  been  a  cross  decussate,  or  two 
pieces  of  timber  crossing  each  other  in  the  form  of  the 
letter  X,  hence  usually  known  by  the  name  of  St.  An- 
drew's cross;  though  some  affirm  that  he  suffered  death 
on  an  Olive-tree,  and  not  on  a  cross. 

After  his  body  was  taken  from  the  cross,  it  was  de- 
cently and  honourably  interred  by  Maxamilla,  a  lady 
of  great  quality  and  estate,  and  who,  Nicephorus  tells 
us,  was  wife  to  the  proconsul.  Constantine  the  Great 
afterwards  removed  his  body  to  Constantinople,  and 
buried  it  in  the  great  church  he  had  built  to  the  hon- 
our of  the  apostles:  but  this  structure  being  takers 
down  some  hundred  of  years  after,  in  order  to  rebuild 
it,  by  Justinian  the  emperor,  the  body  of  St.  Andrew 
was  found  in  a  wooden  coffin,  and  again  deposited  in 
the  place  where  it  was  at  first  interred. 

We  have  the  following  encomiastic  character  of  St. 
Andrew,  from  Hesychius,  Presbyter  of  Jerusalem, 
with  which  we  shall  conclude  this  account  of  his  life. 
"  St.  Andrew  was  the  first-born  of  the  apostolic  choir, 
the  principal  and  first  pillar  of  the  church,  a  rock,  be- 
fore  the  rock,  the  foundation  of  that  foundation,  the 
first  fruits  of  the  beginning,  a  caller  before  he  was 
called  himself;  he  preached  that  gospel  which  was  not 
yet  revealed  or  entertained;  he  revealed  and  made 
known  that  life  to  his  brother,  which  he  had  not  yet 
perfectly  learned  himself:  so  great  treasures  did  that 
one  question  bring  him,  Master,  xvhere  divellest  tlioii!' 
which  he  soon  perceived  by  the  answer,  Co7ne  and  see. 
How  art  thou  become  a  prophet.^  whence  thus  divine- 
ly skilful?  what  is  it  that  thou  soundest  in  Peter's  ears. 


LIFE  OF  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW.  291 

Wc  have  found  him  of  whom  Moses  and  the  prophets 
did  ivritCy  &c.  Why  dost  thou  attempt  to  compass 
him  whom  thou  canst  not  comprehend  ?  how  can  he 
be  found  who  is  omnipresent?  But  he  knew  very  well 
what  he  said,  we  have  found  him  whom  Adam  lost, 
whom  Eve  injured,  whom  the  clouds  of  sin  have  hid- 
den from  us,  and  to  whom  our  transgressions  had  hith- 
erto rendered  us  strangers.  Thus  had  St.  Andrew  the 
honour  of  being  the  first  apostle  that  preached  the  gos- 
pel of  the  Son  of  God;  as  appears  by  his  declaration 
recited  above." 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW, 

The  Apostle, 

W  E  learn  from  the  evangelical  history  of  the  elec- 
tion of  the  apostles,  that  St.  Bartholomew  was  one  of 
the  twelve:  because  he  is  but  just  named,  without 
any  further  notice  taken  of  him,  the  generality  of  wri- 
ters, ancient  and  modern,  suppose  that  he  lay  conceal- 
ed under  the  name  of  Nathanael,  one  of  the  first  dis- 
ciples that  came  to  Christ.  Accordingly,  we  may 
observe^  that  as  St.  John  never  mentions  Bartholomew 
in  the  number  of  the  apostles,  so  the  other  evangelists 
take  no  notice  of  Nathanael,  probably  as  being  the 
same  person  under  two  difTerent  names:  and  as  in  St. 
John,  Philipand  Nathanael  are  joined  together  in  their 
coming  to  Christ;  so  in  the  rest  of  the  evangelists, 
Philip  and  Bartholomew  are  constantly  put  together; 
certainly  for  no  other  reason,  than  because  they  were 
jointly  called  to  the  discipleship:  but  what  renders  this 
opinion  still  more  probable,  is,-that  Nathanael  is  par- 
ticularly mentioned  amongst  the  other  apostles,  to 
whom  our  Lord  appeared  at  the  sea  of  Tiberias  after 
his  resurrection. 

It  IS  rot  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Bartholomew 


29SJ  LIFE  OF  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW. 

was  the  proper  name  of  this  apostle,  any  more  than 
Bar-jona  was  the  proper  name  of  Peter;  but  given  t€> 
denote  his  relative  capacity,  either  as  a  son  or  a  scho- 
Jar.  If  it  refers  to  his  father,  he  was  the  son  of  Thai- 
mai,  a  name  not  uncommon  amongst  the  Jews:  if  to 
his  sect  as  a  scholar,  he  was  of  the  school  of  the  Thai- 
masans,  so  called  froni  their  founder  Thalmaei,  scholar 
to  Heber,  the  ancient  master  of  the  Hebrews.  Now 
it  was  usual  for  scholars,  out  of  a  great  reverence  to 
their  master,  as  first  institutor  of  the  order,  to  adopt 
his  name,  as  Ben-ezra,  Ben-usiel,  and  the  like:  but 
which  ever  of  these  conjectures  appears  most  satisfac- 
tory to  the  reader,  either  will  be  sufficient  for  my  pur- 
pose, namely,  to  reconcile  the  difference  there  seems 
to  be  between  St.  John  and  the  other  evangelists  about 
the  name  of  this  apostle,  the  one  calling  him  by  his 
proper  name,  and  the  other  by  his  relative  or  paternal 
•appellation. 

St.  Augustine  indeed  seemed  to  object,  that  it  is  not 
probable  that  our  blessed  Saviour,  who  proposed  to 
confound  the  wisdom  of  this  world  by  the  preaching 
of  illiterate  men,  would  choose  Nathanael,  a  doctor 
of  the  law,  to  be  one  of  his  apostles:  but  this  objec- 
tion will  appear  to  be  built  on  a  sandy  foundation,  if 
we  consider  that  the  same  argument  isas  strong  against 
Philip,  of  whose  knowledge  in  the  law  and  the  pro- 
phets, there  is  as  strong  evidence  in  the  history  of  the 
gospel  as  for  that  of  Nathanael;  and  may  be  urged 
with  still  greater  force  against  St.  Paul,  whose  abilities 
in  human  learning  were  remarkably  great,  and  few 
were  more  complete  masters  of  the  Jewish  law,  than 
that  great  apostle. 

This  difficulty  being  removed,  we  shall  proceed  to 
the  history  of  this  apostle,  and  consider  the  names  of 
Nathanael  and  Bartholomew  as  belonging  to  one  and 
the  same,  and  not  to  two  persons. 

-4s  tQ  his  descent  and  family,  some  are  of  opinio^, 


LIFE  OF  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW,  293 

that  he  was  a  Syrian,  and  that  he  was  descended  from 
the  Ptolemies  of  Egypt :  probably  for  no  other  rea- 
son than  the  mere  analogy  and  sound  of  the  name : 
but  it  is  plain  from  the  evangelical  history,  that  he  was 
a  Galilean,  St.  John  having  expressly  told  us,  that  Na- 
thanael  was  of  Cana  in  that  part  of  Judea.  His  trade 
and  manner  of  life  are  not  mentioned  in  Scripture, 
though  from  some  circumstances  there  is  room  to  ima- 
gine that  he  was  a  fisherman:  but  however  that  be, 
he  was  at  his  first  coming  to  Christ,  conducted  by 
Philip,  who  told  him  they  had  now  found  the  long 
expected  Messiah  so  often  foretold  by  Moses  and  the 
prophets,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of  Joseph.  And 
when  he  objected  that  the  Messiah  could  not  be  born 
in  Nazareth,  Philip  desired  nim  to  come  and  satisfy 
himself  of  the  truth. 

Our  blessed  Saviour,  on  his  approach,  entertained 
him  with  this  honourable  character,  that  he  was  an 
Israelite  indeed,  a  man  of  true  simplicity  and  dignity; 
and  indeed  his  simplicity  particularly  appears  in  this, 
that  when  he  was  told  of  Jesus,  he  did  not  object 
against  the  meanness  ot  his  original,  the  low  condition 
of  his  parents,  or  the  narrowness  of  their  fortunes, 
but  only  against  the  place  of  his  birth,  which,  as  he 
justly  observed,  could  not  be  Nazareth,  the  Scriptures 
peremptorily  foretelling  that  the  Messiah  should  be 
jborn  at  Bethlehem. 

This  apostle  was  greatly  surprised  at  our  Lord's  sal- 
utation, wondering  how  he  could  know  him  at  the 
first  sight,  being  certain  he  had  never  before  seen  his 
face:  but  he  was  answered,  that  he  had  seen  him  while 
he  was  yet  under  the  fig-tree,  even  before  Philip  call- 
ed him.  Convinced  by  this  instance  of  our  Lord's 
divinity,  he  presently  made  this  confession,  that  he  was 
now  sure  that  Jesus  was  the  promised  Messiah,  the 
Son  of  God,  whom  he  had  appointed  to  govern  his 
church.  Our  blessed  Saviour  told  him,  that  if,  from 
this  instance,  he  could  believe  him  to  be  the  Messiah, 


294  LIFE  OF  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW. 

he  should  have  far  greater  arguments  to  confirm  his 
faith ;  for  that  he  should  hereafter  behold  the  heavens 
opened  to  receive  him,  and  the  angels  visibly  appear- 
ing to  attend  his  triumphant  entrance  into  the  heaven 
of  heavens. 

After  the  visible  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the 
apostles,  St.  Bartholomew  visited  different  parts  of  the 
world  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  penetrated  as  far  as 
the  hither  India.  Having  spent  a  considerable  time 
there,  and  in  the  eastern  extremities  of  Asia,  he  re- 
turned to  the  northern  and  western  parts:  and  we  find 
him  at  Hierapolis  in  Phrygia,  labouring  in  concert 
with  St.  Philip,  to  plant  Christianity  in  those  parts, 
and  to  convince  the  blind  idolaters  of  the  evil  of  their 
ways,  and  direct  them  in  the  paths  that  lead  to  the  re- 
gions of  felicity.  This  enraged  the  bigotted  magis- 
trates, and  he  was,  together  with  St.  Philip,  designed 
for  Martyrdom ;  and  in  order  to  this  fastened  to  a  cross : 
but  a  sudden  trembling  and  motion  of  the  earth  con- 
vinced the  idolaters  that  the  justice  of  Omnipotence 
would  revenge  their  deaths;  so  that  they  took  him  im- 
mediately down  from  the  cross  and  dismissed  him. 

St.  Bartholomew  passed  from  hence  into  Lycaonia, 
and  St.  Chrysostom  assures  us,  that  he  instructed  and 
trained  up  the  inhabitants  in  the  Christian  discipline. 
His  last  remove  was  to  Adrianople  in  great  Armenia, 
a  place  miserably  over-run  with  idolatry,  from  which 
he  laboured  to  reclaim  the  people  :  but  his  endeavours 
to  turn  them  from  darkness  unto  lights  and  from  the 
poxver  of  Satan  unto  God,  were  so  far  from  having  the 
desired  effect,  that  it  provoked  the  magistrates,  who 
prevailed  on  the  governor  to  put  him  to  death,  which 
he  cheerfully  underwent,  sealing  with  his  blood  the 
truth  of  the  doctrine  he  had  preached. 

We  are  told  by  some  of  the  ancients,  that  he  was 
crucified  with  his  head  downwards;  and  by  others, 
that  he  was  flayed  alive.     Perhaps  he  suffered  both ; 


LIFE  OF  ST.  BARNABAS*  295 

for  Plutarch  records  a  particular  instance  of  Mesobates 
the  Persian  eunuch,  who  was  first  flayed  alive,  and 
thencrucified;  and  the  inhabitantsof  Adrianople  might 
easily  borrow  this  barbarous  and  inhuman  cruelty  from 
the  Persians,  who  were  remarkably  severe  in  their  pu- 
nishments. 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF  ST.  BARNABAS, 

The  Apostle. 

JL  HIS  apostle  was  at  first  called  Joses,  a  softer  ter- 
mination generally  given  by  the  Greeks  to  Joseph ; 
his  fellow  disciples  added  the  name  of  Barnabas,  as 
significant  of  some  extraordinary  property  in  him.  St. 
Luke  interprets  it,  the  son  of  consolation,  which  he 
was  ever  ready  to  administer  to  the  afflicted,  both  by 
word  and  action ;  as  his  comfortable  discourses,  his 
selling  his  own  estate,  and  collecting  the  benevolence 
of  others,  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  indigent  Chris- 
tians, abundantly  testify.  St.  Jerom  observes  that  his 
name  also  denotes  the  son  of  a  prophet :  and  in  this 
respect  likewise  it  was  well  suited  to  our  apostle,  as 
being  eminent  for  his  endowments  and  prophetic  gifts. 

St.  Barnabas  was  a  descendant  of  the  tribe  of  Levi^ 
of  a  family  removed  out  of  Judea,  and  settled  in  the 
isle  of  Cyprus,  where  they  had  purchased  an  estate,  as 
the  Levites  might  do  out  of  their  country.  His  pa- 
rents finding  their  son  of  a  promising  genius  and  dis- 
position, placed  him  in  one  of  the  schools  of  Jerusa- 
lem, under  the  tuition  of  Gamaliel,  St.  Paul's  master^ 
a  circumstance  which,  in  all  probability,  laid  the  first 
foundation  for  that  intimacy  which  afterwards  sub- 
sisted between  these  two  eminent  servants  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

St.  Barnabas  is  first  mentioned  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, in  record  of  that  great  and  worthy  service,  he  did 


296  LIFE  OF  ST.  BARNABAS, 

the  chufch  of  Christ,  by  securing  it  with  the  sale  of 
his  patrimony  in  Cyprus,  the  whole  price  of  which  he 
laid  at  the  apostle's  feet,  to  be  put  into  the  conrimori 
stock,  and  disposed  of  as  they  should  think  fit,  amongst 
the  indigent  followers  of  the  Holy  Jesus.  This  wor- 
thy example  was  followed  by  those  who  were  blessed 
with  the  goods  of  fortune:  none  kept  their  plenty  to 
themselves,  but  turned  their  houses  and  lands  into  mo- 
ney, and  devoted  it  to  the  common  use  of  the  churchy 
St.  Barnabas  is  indeed  mentioned  as  selling  the  most 
valuable  estate  on  this  occasion;  or  being  the  most 
forward  and  ready  to  begin  a  common  stock  and  set 
others  a  laudable  pattern  of  charity  and  benevolence 
to  the  brethren. 

Our  apostle  now  became  considerable  in  the  minis- 
try and  government  of  the  church;  for  we  find  that 
St.  Paul  coming  to  Jerusalem  three  years  after  his  con- 
version, and  not  readily  procuring  admittance  into  the 
church,  because  he  had  been  so  grievous  a  persecutor 
of  it,  and  might  still  be  suspected  of  a  design  to  be- 
tray it,  he  addressed  himself  to  Barnabas  as  a  leading 
man  amongst  the  Christians,  and  one  that  had  personal 
knowledge  of  him.  He  accordingly  introduced  him 
to  Peter  and  James  and  satisfied  them  of  the  sincerity 
of  his  conversion,  and  in  what  miraculous  manner  it 
was  brought  about. 

The  agreeable  news  was  brought  to  Jerusalem,  about 
four  or  five  vears  afterwards  that  several  of  their  bodv 
who  had  been  driven  out  of  Judeaby  the  persecutions 
raised  about  St,  Stephen,  had  preached  at  Antioch 
with  such  success,  that  a  great  number,  both  of  Jew? 
smd  proselytes  embraced  Christianity,  and  were  desir- 
ous that  some  of  the  superior  order  would  come  down 
5ind  confirm  them.  This  request  was  immediately 
granted;  and  Barnabas  was  deputed  to  settle  this  new 
plantation.  Upon  his  arrival,  he  rejoiced  extremely;, 
?o  see  what  progress  the  gospel  had  made  amongst 
them ;  and  earnestly  exhorted  them  to  continue  im- 


Lirt:  OF  ST.   BAl^NABAS.  297 

moveable  in  their  profession  of  Chris-t  Jesus.  And 
beinghimself  a  good  man,  and  full  of  the  Holy  Ghosts 
and  of  faith,  his  charitable  deeds  accompanying  his 
discourses,  and  his  pious  life  exemplifying  his  sound 
doctrine,  the  people  were  greatly  influenced  by  him, 
and  very  large  additions  were  made  to  the  Christian 
church:  but  there  being  too  large  a  field  for  one  la- 
bourer, he  went  to  fetch  Paul  from  Tarsus,  who  came 
back  with  him  to  Antioch,  and  assisted  him  a  whole 
year  in  establishing  that  church.  Their  labours  pros- 
pered, their  assemblies  were  crowded,  and  the  disci- 
ples, who  before  this  were  called  amongst  themselves 
brethren,  believers^  elect,  and  by  their  enemies,  Naza- 
reiiei>,  and  Galileans,  were  now  called  Christians  first 
in  this  city. 

While  these  apostles  preached  at  Antioch,  Agabus, 
a  prophet,  gave  the  church  notice,  that  there  would 
shortly  be  a  great  famine  throughout  the  Roman  em- 
pire; especially  in  Judea.  On  hearing  this  prophecy, 
the  Christians  of  Antioch  considering  the  number  and 
necessities  of  their  brethren  at  Jerusalem,  and  how 
generously  the  rich  amongst  them  had  exhausted  their 
estates  in  maintaining  the  poor,  determined  to  send 
them  assistance  against  the  ensuing  scarcity,  which 
they  raised  by  contributions  according  to  every  man*s 
abilities,  and  sent  it  to  the  heads  of  the  church  at  Je- 
rusalem, by  the  hands  of  Barnabas  and  Paul.  This 
famine  lay  heavy  on  Judea,  during  the  four  years  go- 
vernment of  Caspius  Fadus,  and  Tiberias  Alexander, 
who,  under  the  emperor  Claudius,  were  presidents  ot 
that  province. 

After  the  apostles  had  fulfilled  their  charitable  em- 
bassy, and  staid  some  time  at  Jerusalem  to  see  the  good 
effect  ot  it,  they  returned  again  to  Antioch,  bringing 
with  them  John,  whose  surname  was  Mark,  the  son 
of  Mary,  sister  to  Barnabas  ;  and  at  whose  house  the 
disciples  found  both  security  for  their  persons,  and  con- 
veniency  for  the  solemnity  of  their  worship.  But  soon 

VOL.  ii.  p  p 


258  LIFE  OF  Sr.  BARNABAS. 

after  the  apostles*  return  to  Antioch,  an  express  reve- 
lation was  made  to  the  church,  by  the  mouth  of  one  of 
the  prophets  who  ministered  there,  that  Barnabas  and 
Paul  should  be  set  apart  for  an  extraordinary  work, 
unto  which  the  Holy  Ghost  had  appointed  them.  Up- 
on this  declaration  the  church  set  apart  a  day  tor  a  so- 
icmn  mission,  and  after  devout  prayer  and  fasting,  they 
laid  their  hands  upon  them,  and  ordained  them  to  their 
office;  which  was  to  travel  over  certain  countries, and 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles:  from  this  joint  com- 
mission, Barnabas  obtained  the  name  of  an  apostle, 
not  only  amongst  later  WTiters  of  the  church,  but  with 
St.  Paul  himself,  and  with  St.  Luke,  in  the  history  of 
the  acts  of  the  apostles  written  by  him. 

Being  thus  consecrated  the  apostles  of  the  Gentiles, 
they  entered  upon  their  ministry,  taking  with  them 
John  Mark  for  their  minister  or  deacon,  who  assisted 
them  in  many  ecclesiastical  offices,  particularly  in  tak- 
ing  care  of  the  poor  and  receiving  contributions  for 
them. 

After  their  departure  from  Antioch,  the  first  city 
they  visited  wasSelucia,  a  city  of  Syria,  adjoining  to 
the  sea;  from  whence  they  sailed  for  the  island  of  Cy- 
prus, the  native  place  of  St.  Barnabas,  and  arrived  at 
Salamis,  a  port  formerly  remarkable  for  its  trade.  Here 
they  boldly  preached  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  in 
the  synagogue  of  the  Jews ;  and  from  thence  travelled 
to  Paphos,  the  capital  of  the  island.  Here  their  preach- 
ing was  attended  with  remarkable  success;  Servius 
Paulus,  the  proconsul,  being,  amongst  others,  con- 
verted to  the  faith  of  the  gospel. 

Having  quitted  Cyprus,  they  crossed  the  sea  to  preach 
in  Pamphylia,  where  their  deacon  John,  to  the  great 
grief  of  his  uncle  Barnabas,  left  them,  and  returned 
to  Jerusalem.  The  aposlle^afterwards  went  to  Perga, 
where  they  did  not  continue  long,  but  travelled  se- 
•  Ycnty  or  eighty  miles  northward  to  Antioch  in  Pisidia^ 


LIFE  OF  ST.  BARNABAS.  29^ 

SO  called  to  distinguish  it  from  Antioch  in  Syria,  where 
the  apostles  received  their  ordination.  Here  they 
preached  to  the  Jews  in  their  synagogue  ;  but  meet- 
ing with  blasphemous  opposition,  they  told  them  plain- 
ly, that  they  thought  it  reasonable  to  preach  the  gospel 
first  to  them;  but  as  they  had  so  unthankfully  rejected 
it,  they  would  now  make  the  same  offers  of  salvation 
to  the  Gentiles,  according  to  the  commandment  of 
God,  by  his  prophets;  but  the  exasperated  Jews  stirred 
up  some  of  the  principal  citizens  to  persecute  them, 
and  force  them  to  leave  ihe  city;  whereupon  they  de- 
parted  from  Antioch,  and  came  to  Iconium  the  metro* 
polis  of  Lycaonia,  where  they  continued  a  considera- 
ble time,  preaching  in  the  synagogues  with  great  suc- 
cess: but,  at  last,  the  old  spirit  of  Jewish  rage  and 
malice  prevailed  against  them,  and  obliged  them,  in 
order  to  avoid  the  madness  of  the  multitude,  to  retire  to 
Derbe,  a  city  of  Lycaonia. 

They  returned  from  Derbe  to  Lystra,  Iconium,  and 
Antioch  in  Pisidia,  confirming  the  souls  of  the  disci- 
pies,  and  exhorting  them  to  continue  in  the  faith  ;  and 
that  loe  must  tltroagh  much  tribulation  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God.  After  a  short  stay,  they  again  vis- 
ited the  churches  of  Pamphylia,  Perga,  and  Attalia^ 
where  they  took  ship  and  sailed  to  Antioch  in  Syria, 
the  place  from  whence  they  first  set  out.  Presently  af- 
ter their  arrival,  they  called  the  church  of  this  city  to? 
gether,  and  gave  them  an  account  of  their  travels, 
and  of  the  great  success  which  had  attended  their 
preaching  in  the  Gentile  world. 

They  had  not  long  continued  in  this  city,  before  ihcir 
assistance  was  required  to  compose  a  di (Terence  in  this 
church,  occasioned  by  some  of  the  Jewish  converts,  who 
endeavoured  to  persuade  the  Gentiles  that  they  were 
bound  to  observe  the  law  of  Moses,  as  well  as  that  of 
Christ;  and  be  circumcised  as  well  as  baptized.  F5ar-» 
iiabas  endeavoured  to  persuade  the  zealots  from  press- 
ing such  unnecessary  observations;  but  all  hif  ^ndea 


300  LIFE  OF  ST.  BARNABAS. 

vours  proving  ineffectual,  he  was  deputed  with  St. 
Paul,  and  others,  to  go  to  the  church  at  Jerusalem,  to 
submit  the  question  to  be  determined  there  in  a  full 
assembly. 

During  their  stay  at  Jerusalem,  Mark,  in  all  proba- 
bility, reconciled  himself  to  his  uncle  Barnabas,  and 
returned  with  him  and  St.  Paul  to  Antioch,  after  they 
had  succeeded  in  their  business  at  Jerusalem,  and  ob- 
tained a  decree  from  the  synod  there,  that  the  Gentile 
converts  should  not  have  circumcision  and  other  Mo- 
saic rites  imposed  upon  them,  as  they  were  now  under 
the  gospel  dispensation. 

The  minds  of  the  Gentiles  were  greatly  quieted  and 
comforted  by  this  determination;  nevertheless  it  did 
not  prevent  the  bigotted  Jews  from  keeping  up  a  sep- 
aration from  them;  and  that  with  so  much  obstinacy, 
that  when  St.  Peter  some  time  after  came  to  Antioch, 
he,  for  fear  of  offending  them,  contradicted  his  former 
practice,  and  late  speech  and  vote  in  the  synod  of  Je- 
rusalem, by  refraining  from  all  kind  of  communion 
with  the  Gentiles;  and  Barnabas  himself,  though  so 
great  and  good  a  man,  was  induced,  by  the  authority 
of  his  example  to  commit  the  same  error;  though 
doubtless,  on  being  reproved  by  St.  Paul,  they  both 
took  more  courage,  and  walked  according  to  that  true 
liberty  and  freedom  which  the  gospel  imparts. 

After  this  transaction,  Paul  made  a  proposal  to  Bar- 
nabas, that  they  should  repeat  their  late  travels  amongst 
the  Gentiles,  and  see  how  the  churches  they  had  plant- 
ed increased  in  their  numbers,  and  improved  in  the 
doctrines  they  had  taught  them.  Barnabas  very  read- 
ily complied  with  the  proposal,  but  desired  they  might 
take  with  them  this  reconciled  nephew,  John  Mark. 
This  Paul  absolutely  refused,  because  in  their  former 
voyage,  Mark  had  not  shewn  the  constancy  of  a  faith- 
ful minister  of  Christ,  but  consulted  his  own  ease  at 
^  dangerous  juncture,  departed  from  them  without 


LIFE  OF  ST.  BARNABAS.  Soi 

le^ve  at  Pamphylia,  and  returned  to  Jerusalem/  Bar- 
nabas still  insisted  on  taking  him,  and  the  other  con- 
tinuing as  resolute  to  oppose  it,  a  short  debate  arose, 
which  terminated  in  a  rupture ,  whereby  these  two 
holy  men,  who  had  for  several  years  been  companions 
in  the  ministry,  and  with  united  endeavours  propagat- 
ed the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  now  took  different 
provinces.  Barnabas,  with  his  kinsman,  sailed  to  his 
own  country,  Cyprus;  and  Paul  travelled  to  the 
churches  of  Syria  and  Cilicia,  taking  Silas  with  him. 

The  sacred  writers  give  us  no  account  of  St.  Barna- 
bas, after  his  separation  from  St.  Paul;  nor  are  the  ec- 
clesiastical writers  agreed  amongst  themselves  with  re- 
gard  to  the  actions  of  our  apostle,  after  his  sailing  for 
Cyprus:  this  however  seems  to  be  certain,  that  he  did 
not  spend  the  whole  remainder  of  his  life  in  that  island, 
but  visited  different  parts  of  the  world,  preaching  the 
glad-tidings  of  the  gospel,  healing  the  sick,  and  work- 
ing other  miracles  amongst  the  Gentiles ;  and  after 
long  and  painful  travels,  attended  w^ith  different  de- 
grees of  success  in  different  places,  he  returned  to  Cy- 
prus, his  native  country,  where  he  suffered  martyrdom 
in  the  following  manner:  certain  Jews  coming  from 
Syria  to  Salamis,  where  Barnabas  was  then  preaching 
the  gospel,  were  highly  exasperated  at  his  extraordina- 
ry success,  fell  upon  him  as  he  was  disputing  in  the  sy- 
nagogue, dragged  him  out,  and  after  the  most  inhu- 
man tortures,  stoned  him  to  death.  His  kinsman  John 
Mark,  w^ho  was  a  spectator  of  this  barbarous  action, 
privately  interred  his  body  in  a  cave,  where  it  remain- 
ed till  the  time  of  the  emperor  Zeno,  in  the  year  of 
Christ  485,  when  it  was  discovered  laying  on  hii 
breast,  with  St.  Matthew's  gospel  in  Hebrew,  written 
with  his  own  hand. 

An  epistle  in  Greek  is  still  extant,  which  bears  this 
apostle's  name:  but  the  church  has  not  received  it  into 
the  canon  of  Scripture  :  and  for  that  reason,  both  Eu~ 
sebius  and  St.  Jerom  called  it  apocryphal,  though 


302  LIFE  OF  ST.  BARNABAS 

they  (!b  not  deny  its  being  the  work  of  St.  Barnabas* 
Clemens  Alexandrinus  and  Origen  often  quote  it  as 
his,  and  Monardus,  who  pubHshed  the  Greek  with 
the  old  Latin  version,  sufficiently  shews,  that  it  is  the 
same  known  to  the  ancients,  because  all  their  quota- 
tions are  found  in  it.  The  style  of  it  resembles  that 
of  the  apostolic  age;  but  it  appears  to  have  been  writ- 
ten some  time  after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  a  pe- 
riod which  St.  Barnabas  may  easily  be  supposed  to 
survive:  the  beginning  of  it  is  wanting,  and  the  in- 
scription, if  ever  it  had  any;  but  the  matter  of  it  evi- 
dently shews,  that  it  v^as  written  to  such  Jews  as  are 
mentioned  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts,  who 
having  embraced  Christianity,  still  held,  that  the  ob- 
servance of  the  ceremonial  law  was  necessary  to  sal- 
vation :  but  this  law  St.  Barnabas  ahews  to  be  abolisli.- 
ed  by  the  gospel,  and  that  the  customs  of  it  are  of  no 
consequence  to  the  Christians.  The  latter  part  con- 
tains excellent  precepts,  delivered  under  two  different 
similitudes,  the  one  of  light,  the  other  of  darkness; 
the  former  under  the  conduct  of  the  angels  of  God, 
the  latter  under  the  influence  of  the  angels  of  Satan. 
The  way  of  light  is  a  summary  of  what  the  Christian 
is  to  do,  that  he  may  attain  eternal  happiness ;  and  the 
way  of  darkness  represents  those  particular  sins  and 
vices  which  exclude  men  from  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven. He  closes  the  whole  with  pressing  Christians  to 
live  in  such  a  manner,  while  they  sojourn  in  this  vale  of 
misery,  that  they  may  after  they  quit  it,  enjoy  the  plea- 
sures of  the  heavenly  Canaan,  and  inherit  the  king- 
dom of  glory  for  ever  and  ever. 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF  ST.  PHILIP, 

The  Apostle. 

OT.  PHILIP  was  a  native  of  Bethsaida,  the  city  of 
Andrew  and  Peter.  He  had  the  honour  of  being  first 
called  to  be  a  disciple  of  the  great  Messiah,  which 
happened  in  the  following  manner.  Our  blessed  Sa- 
viour, soon  after  his  return  from  the  wilderness,  where 
he  had  been  tempted  by  the  devil,  met  with  Andrew 
and  his  brother  Peter,  and  after  some  discourse  parted 
from  them.  The  next  day,  as  he  was  passing  through 
Galilee,  he  found  Philip,  whom  he  presently  command- 
ed to  follow  him,  the  constant  form  he  made  use  of 
in  calling  his  disciples,  and  those  that  inseparably  at- 
tended him ;  so  that  the  prerogative  of  being  first  call- 
ed, evidently  belongs  to  St.  Philip,  he  being  the  first 
of  our  Lord's  disciples;  for  though  Andrew  and  St, 
John  were  the  first  that  came  and  conversed  with  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  yet  they  immediately  returned  to 
their  occupation,  and  were  not  called  till  a  whole  year 
afterwards. 

Our  apostle  was  not  idle  after  the  honour  he  had  re- 
ceived of  being  called  to  attend  the  Saviour  of  the 
world;  he  immediately  imparted  the  glad-tidings  ol 
the  Messiah's  appearance  to  his  brother  Nathanael, 
and  conducted  him  to  Jesus:  so  ready  is  a  good  man 
to  conduct  others  in  the  paths  that  lead  to  happiness 
and  peace. 

We  have  very  little  recorded  of  St.  Philip  by  the 
evangelists,  after  his  being  called  to  the  apostleship, 
It  was,  however  to  him  that  our  Saviour  proposed  the 
question,  where  they  should  find  bread  sufiicient  to  sa- 
tisfy the  hunger  of  so  great  a  multitude?  To  which 
Philip  answered,  that  it  was  not  easy  to  procure  so- 
large  a  quantity  \  not  considering,  that  it  was  equally 


;JP4  LIFE  OF  ST.  PHILIP. 

easy  for  Almighty  power  to  feed  double  the  number, 
when  it  pleased  to  exert  itself.  It  was  also  to  the  same 
apostle,  that  the  Gentile  proselytes,  who  came  up  to 
worship  at  Jerusalem,  applied,  when  they  were  desi- 
rous to  see  the  Saviour  of  the  world  :  and  it  was  with 
him  our  Lord  had  the  discourse  a  little  before  the  pas- 
chal  supper,  when  he  was  about  going  to  suffer. 

While  the  holy  compassionate  Jesus  was  fortifying 
the  minds  of  his  disciples  with  proper  considerations 
against  his  departure  from  them,  and  had  told  them  of 
a  place  in  the  mansions  of  the  heavenly  Canaan :  that 
he  was  the  waijy  the  truth  and  the  life :  that  no  man  could 
come  to  the  Father  but  by  hiniy  and  that  knowing  him^ 
they,  both  knew  and  had  seen  the  Father :  Philip,  not 
thoroughly  understanding  the  force  of  his  Master^s 
reasonings  begged  of  him  that  he  would  shew  them 
the  Father.  We  can  hardly  suppose  that  Philip  should 
have  such  gross  conceptions  of  the  Deity,  as  to  ima- 
gine the  Father  invested  with  a  corporeal  and  visible 
nature ;  but  Christ  having  told  them  that  they  had 
seen  him,  and  knowing  that  cf  old  God  frequently 
appeared  in  a  visible  shape,  he  only  desired  that  he 
would  manifest  himself  to  them  by  some  such  appear- 
ance. Our  Lord  gently  reproved  his  ignorance,  that 
after  attending  so  long  to  his  instructions,  he  should 
know,  that  he  was  the  image  of  his  Father,  the  express 
characters  of  his  infinite  wisdom,  power,  and  good- 
ness appearing  in  him;  that  he  said  and  did  nothing 
but  by  his  Father's  appointment,  which,  if  they  did 
not  believe,  his  miracles  were  a  sufficient  evidence; 
that  such  demands  were  therefore  unnecessary  and  im- 
pertinent; and  that  it  was  an  indication  of  great  weak- 
ness in  him,  after  three  years  education  under  his  dis- 
cipline and  institution,  to  appear  so  ignorant  with  re- 
gard to  these  particulars. 

We  are  told  by  the  ancients,  that  in  the  distribution 
made  by  the  apostles  of  the  several  regions  of  the 
world,  the  upper  Asia  fell  to  the  share  o^  St.  Philip^ 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PHILIP,  305 

where  he  applied  himself  with  an  indefatigable  dili- 
gence and  industry,  to  turn  the  children  of  men  from 
the  paths  of  wickedness  which  lead  to  destruction,  to 
the  ways  that  terminate  in  eternal  felicity :  and  by  the 
constancy  and  power  of  his  preaching,  and  the  eflicacy 
of  his  miracles,  he  gained  numerous  converts,  whom 
he  baptised  into  the  Christian  faith,  curing  at  once  their 
bodies  of  infirmities  and  distempers;  and  their  souls  of 
error  and  idolatry,  he  continued  with  them  a  conside- 
rable time  in  settling  churches,  and  appointing  them 
spiritual  guides  and  ministers. 

Having  several  years  successfully  exercised  his  apos^ 
tolical  office  in  all  those  parts,  he  came  at  last  to  Hier- 
apolis  in  Phrygia,  a  city  remarkably  rich  and  populous, 
but  at  the  same  time  over-run  with  the  most  eaormou-. 
idolatry  :  amongst  the  many  vain  and  trifling  deities, 
to  whom  they  paid  religious  adoration,  was  a  serpent 
or  dragon,  of  an  enormous  magnitude  which  they  wor- 
shipped with  the  most  solemn  reverence  and  devotion. 

Being  grieved  to  see  the  people  so  WTetchedly  en- 
slaved by  error  and  superstition,  St.  Philip  continuall\ 
offered  his  addresses  to  heaven,  till  by  his  prayers,  and 
often  calling  upon  the  name  of  Christ,  he  procured 
the  death  or  at  least  the  vanishing  of  this  famous  and 
beloved  serpent.  Having  duis  demolished  their  deity, 
he  demonstrated  to  them  how  ridiculous  and  unjust  it 
was  for  them  to  pay  divine  honours  to  such  odious  crea- 
tures, shewed  them,  that  God  alone  was  to  be  worship- 
ped as  the  great  Parent  of  all  the  world,  who  in  the  be- 
ginning made  man  after  his  glorious  image,  and  when 
fallen  from  that  innocent  and  happy  state,  sent  his  own 
Son  into  die  world  to  redeem  him ;  that  in  order  to 
perform  this  glorious  w^ork,  he  died  on  the  cross,  and 
rose  again  from  the  dead,  and  at  the  end  of  the  vvorld 
will  come  again  to  raise  all  the  sons  of  men  from  die 
chambers  of  the  dust,  and  sentence  them  to  everlasting 
rewards  and  punishments,  according  to  their  works. 
This  discourse  roused  them  from  their  lethargy ;  so  that 
great  numbers  were  ashamed  of  their  late  idolatry,  and 

VOL.  ii.  (^q 


300  LIFE  OF  ST.  PHIUP. 

embraced  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  with  earnestness 
and  sincerity. 

The  great  enemy  of  mankind,  being  provoked  at  this 
success  had  recourse  to  his  old  methods,  cruelty  and 
persecution.     The  magistrates  of  the  city   seized  the 
apostle,  and  having  thrown  him  into  prison,  caused  him 
to  be  severely  scourged.     When  this  preparatory  cru- 
elty was  over,  he  was  led  to  execution,  and,  being  bound, 
was  hanged  against  a  pillar ;  or,  according  to  others, 
crucified :  but  Omnipotence  did  not  behold  this  scene 
of  cruelty  without  testifying  his  anger;  for  when  this 
indefatigable  apostle  was  expiring,  the  earth  began  sud- 
denly to  quake,  and  the  ground  whereon  the  people 
stood  to  sink  under  them ;  but,  on  their  considering  it 
as  a  mark  of  the  divine  vengeance,  and  imploring  par- 
don  for  their  crime,  it  suddenly  stopt,  and  returned  to 
its  former  position.     The  apostle  being  dead,  his  bod)" 
was  taken  down  by  St.  Bartholomew,  his  fellow-la- 
bourer in  the  gospel,  and  Mariamne,  St.  Philip's  sister, 
the  constant  companions  of  his  travels,  and  decently 
buried ;  after  which  they  confirmed  the  people  in  the 
faith  of  Christ,  and  departed  from  those  parts. 

The  ancient  writers  unanimously  agree  that  he  was  a 
married  man;  and  Clemens  of  Alexandria,  that  he  had 
daughters,  whom  he  disposed  of  in  marriage :  but  he, 
not  carefully  distinguishing  between  Philip  the  deacon, 
who  lived  at  Ca^sarea  with  his  three  virgin  daughters, 
as  mentioned  in  the  acts  of  the  apostles,  has  caused 
some  confusion  amongst  the  ancient  authors:  nay,  some 
have  concluded,  that  they  were  one  and  the  same  per- 
son; though  the  one  was  called  to  the  apostlcship,  by 
our  Lord  himself^  and  the  other  only  a  deacon  chosen 
by  the  apostles  at  Jerusalem,  after' the  descent  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  upon  them. 

It  does  not  appear  that  St.  Philip  left  any  writings  be- 
hind him,  being  fully  employed  in  ministeries  more 
immediately  useful  to  the  happiness  of  mankind  as  aR^ 
apostle* 


ST.  SIMON,  THE  APOSTLE, 

Surnamed  the  Zealot' 


A  HIS  apostle  was,  as  some  think,  one  of  the  four 
brothers  of  our  Saviour,  sons  of  Joseph  by  his  former 
marriage ;  though  the  only  proof  of  It  is,  that  one  of 
these  was  called  Simon,  too  weak  an  argument  to  found 
any  on,  except  a  bare  conjecture.     In  the  catalogue  of 
the  apostles,  he  is  styled  $imo?i  the  Canaaiiite,  whence 
some  conjecture  he  was  born  at  Cana  of  Galilee,  and 
others  will  have  him  to  have  been  the  bridegroom  men- 
tioned by  St.  John,  at  whose  marriage  our  blessed  Sa- 
viour turned  the  water  into  wine :  but  this  ^.vord  lias  no 
relation  to  liis  country,  or  the  place  of  his  nativity,  be- 
ing derived  from  the  Hebrew  word  knah,  v/hich  signi- 
fies  zeal ;  and  denotes  a  warm  and  sprightly  temper. 
What  some  of  the  evangelists  call  Ca?jaa?iite,   others, 
rendering  the  Hebrew  by  the  Greek  word,  style  Zealot; 
not  from  his  great  zeal,  his  ardent  affection  to  his  Mas- 
ter, and  a  desire  of  advancing  his  religion  in  the  world, 
but  from  his  warm,  active  temper,  and  ::ealous  forward- 
ness in  some  particular  sect  of  religion,  before  our  Sa- 
viour called  him  to  be  a  disciple. 

That  we  may  understand  this  the  better  it  will  be  ne- 
cessary to  observe,  that  as  there  were  several  sects  and 
parties  amongst  the  Jews,  so  there  was  one,  either  a  dis- 
tinct sect,  or  at  least,  a  branch  of  the  Pharisees,  called 
the  sect  of  the  Zealots :  they  were  remarkable  assert- 
ers  of  the  honour  of  the  law,  and  of  the  strictness  and 
purity  of  religion,  assuming  a  liberty  to  themselves  of 
questioning  notorious  offenders,  without  staying  for  the 
ordinary  formalities  of  law ;  nay,  they  did  not  scruple, 
when  they  thought  it  necessary,  to  inflict  capital  punish- 
ments upon  them:  thus,  when  a  blasphemer  cursed  God 
\-)y  the  name  of  an  iglol,  the  Zealot  who  first  met  hiui 


SOS  LIFE  OF  ST.  SIMON. 

had  the  liberty  of  killing  him,  without  carrying  him  be« 
fore  the  Sanhedrim.  They  considered  themselves  as 
the  successors  of  Phineas,  who  in  defence  of  the  hon- 
our of  God,  inflicted  death  on  Zimri  and  Cozbi :  an 
act  which  was  coujited  unto  him  for  righteousness  unto 
all  genei'ations  for  ever  more ;  and  God  was  so  well 
pleased  with  it,  that  he  made  with  him^  and  his  seed  af- 
ter him  the  covenant  of  an  everlasting  priesthood^  be-^ 
cause  he  was  zealous  for  his  Gody  afid  made  an  atone- 
ment for  Israel, 

Whatever  St.  Simon  was  before,  we  can  have  no  rea- 
son tc  suspect,  but  that  after  his  conversion  he  was  ve- 
ry zealous  for  the  honour  of  his  master,  and  considered 
all  those  who  were  enemies  to  Christ,  as  enemies  to 
himself,  how  near  soever  they  might  be  to  him  in  any 
natural  relation  :  and  he  was  very  exact  in  all  the  prac- 
tical duties  of  the  Christian  religion,  so  he  shewed  a  ve- 
r}^  serious  and  pious  indignation  towards  those  w^ho  pro- 
fessed religion,  and  a  faith  in  Christ,  with  their 
mouths,  but  dishonoured  their  sacred  profession,  by 
their  irregular  and  vicious  lives,  as  many  of  the  first 
Christians  really  did,  and  became  heretics  and  apos- 
tates. 

We  are  told  by  Theodoret,  that  St.  .Simon  the  Zeal- 
ot was  of  the  tribe  of  Zebulon  or  Naphthali,  and  that 
by  this  particular  he  was  distinguished  from  St.  Simon, 
a  relation  of  our  blessed  Saviour,  and  after  St.  James, 
bishop  of  Jerusalem,  who  was  of  the  tribe  of  Judah ; 
but  there  are  stronger  reasons  to  prove  this  difference, 
the  authority  of  Eusebius,  who  never  calls  Simon  bi- 
shop of  Jerusalem,  an  apostle,  but  says  expressly,  that 
the  apostolic  age  ended  with  his  death,  who  died  before 
Simon,  bishop  of  Jerusalem. 

It  appears  tliat  St.  Simon  continued  in  communion 
with  the  rest  of  the  apostles  and  disciples  at  Jerusalem ; 
and  at  the  feast  of  Pentecost,  received  the  same  mira^ 
culous  gift  of  the  Holy  Gliost :  so  that  he  was  qualified 


LIFE  OF  ST.  MATTHIAS.  509 

with  the  rest  of  his  brethren  for  the  apostohc  office,  in 
propagciting  the  gospel  of  the  son  of  God  ;  and  we  can- 
not doubt  of  his  exercising  his  gifts  with  the  same  zeal 
and  fideUty,  though  in  what  part  of  the  world,  is  uncer- 
tain, some  say  he  went  into  Egypt,  Cyrene,  and  Africa, 
preaching  the  gospel  to  the  inhabitants  of  those  remote 
and  barbarous  countries :  and  others  add,  that  after  he 
had  just  passed  through  those  burning  wastes,  he  took 
ship,  and  visited  the  frozen  regions  of  the  North,  preach- 
ing the  gospel  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  western  parts, 
and  even  in  Britain  itself,  where  having  converted  great 
multitudes,  and  sustained  the  greatest  hardships  and 
persecutions,  he  was  at  length  crucified,  and  buried  in 
some  part  of  Great  Britain,  but  the  particular  spot  can- 
not be  ascertained. 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF  ST  INIATTHIAS, 

The  Apostle, 

St.  MATTHIAS  not  being  an  apostle  of  the  first 
election,  immediately  called  and  chosen  by  the  Son  of 
God  himself,  it  cannot  be  expected  that  any  account  of 
him  can  be  found  in  the  evangelical  history.  He  was 
one  of  our  Lord's  disciples,  probably  one  of  the  se- 
venty, that  had  attended  on  him  the  whole  time  of  his 
public  ministry,  and  after  his  death  was  elected  into  the 
apostolate,  to  supply  the  place  of  Judas,  who,  after  be- 
traying his  great  Lord  and  Master,  laid  violent  hands 
on  himself. 

As  the  defection  of  Judas  had  made  a  vacancy  in  the 
apostolic  college,  the  first  thing  the  disciples  did,  after 
their  return  from  Mount  Olivet,  w^hen  their  great  Mas- 
ter ascended  to  the  throne  of  glor}^  was  to  fill  up  this 
vacancy  wilh  a  proper  person.  Accordingly,  Peter  ac- 
quainted them  that  Judas,  according  to  the  prophetical 
prediction,  being  fallen  from  his  ministry,  it  was  nccf:> 


SIO  LIFE  OF  ST.  ^rATTHIAS 

sary  that  aiiotlicr  should  be  substituted  in  his  roftm,  and 
at  the  same  time  requisite,  that  the  person  elected 
should  have  been  a  constant  attendant  on  the  blessed 
Jesus,  that  he  might  be  the  better  qualified  for  bearing 
witness  to  his  life,  death,  resurrection,  ascension,  and 
intf^rcession. 

St.  Peter  having  thus  addressed  the  assembly,  two 
persons^ere  proposed,  namely,  Joseph  called  Barsabas, 
and  Matthias,  both  of  whom  were  duly  qualified  for 
that  important  office.  The  method  of  election  was  by 
lots,  a  way  common  both  amongst  the  Jews  and  Gen- 
tiles for  determining  doubtful  and  difficult  cases,  espe- 
cially in  choosing  judges  or  magistrates;  and  this  course 
seems  to  have  been  taken  by  the  apostles,  because  the 
Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet  given,  by  whose  immediate 
dictates  and  inspirations  they  were  afterwards  chiefly 
guided. 

That  the  business  might  proceed  with  "^the  greater 
alacrity  and  success,  they  first  solemnly  made  their  ad- 
dresses to  heaven,  that  the  omniscient  Being,  who  gov-^ 
erned  the  world,  and  perfectly  understood  the  tempers 
and  dispositions  of  men,  would  immediately  guide  and 
direct  the  choice,  and  shew  them  which  of  the  two  he 
^vould  appoint  to  take  that  part  of  the  apostolic  charge, 
from  which  Judas  had  so  lately  fallen.  The  prayer  be^ 
jng  ended,  the  lots  were  drawn,  by  which  it  appeared 
that  Matthias  was  the  person,  and  he  was  numbered 
amongst  the  twelve  apostles  accordingly. 

Soon  after  this  election,  the  promised  powers  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  were  conferred  upon  the  apostles,  to  qualify 
them  for  that  great  and  arduous  employment  upon  which 
they  were  sent,  the  establishing  the  holy  religion  of  the 
Son  of  God  amongst  the  children  of  men,  in  various 
parts  of  the  world. 

The  first  years  of  the  ministry  of  St.  Matthias,  were 
spent  in  Judt'a,  -where  he  reaped  a  very  considerable 


LIFE  OF  ST.  MATTHIAS.  311 

harvest  of  souls,  and  then  travelled  into  different  parts 
of  the  world,  to  publish  the  glad-tidings  of  salvation 
to  the  people  who  had  never  yet  heard  of  our  Saviour: 
but  the  particular  parts  he  visited,  are  not  certainly 
known.  The  Greeks  suppose,  that  he  travelled  east- 
ward; St.  Jerom,  says,  his  principal  residence  was  near 
the  influx  of  the  river  Apsus,  into  the  haven  of  Hys- 
cus  in  Cappadocia:  but  the  people  w^ere  remarkably 
rough  and  uncivilized,  so  that  it  is  no  v/onder  that  he  at 
last  fell  a  victim  to  their  ferocity ;  though  this  did  not 
happen  till  after  he  had  long  indcfatigably  laboured  in 
the  vineyard  of  his  great  Master,  and  brought  over  vast 
numbers  to  an  acknowledgment  and  reception  of  the 
truth. 

We  are  not  told  by  what  kind  of  death  this  apostle 
left  the  regions  of  mortality,  and  sealed  the  truth  of  the 
gospel,  he  had  so  assidiously  preached,  with  his  blood. 
Dorotheus  says,  he  finished  his  course  at  Sebastople, 
and  was  buried  there  near  the  temple  of  the  sun.  An 
ancient  martyrologist  reports  him  to  have  been  seized 
by  the  Jews,  and  as  a  blasphemer,  to  have  been  stoned, 
and  then  beheaded :  but  the  Greek  oflices,  supported 
herein  by  several  ancient  breviaries,  tell  us,  that  he  was 
crucified.  His  body  is  by  some  pretended  to  be  now  at 
Rome,  where  some  relics  of  it  arc  shewn  ^vith  great 
veneration;  while  others  contend,  that  it  is  at  Triers  in 
Germany.  Bollandus  is  of  opinion,  that  the  body  of 
Matthias,  now  at  Rome,  is  that  of  Matthias,  who  wa^ 
bishop  of  Jerusalem  in  the  year  120,  and  whose  history 
they  have  confounded  with  that  of  the  apostle  St.  Mat- 
thias ;  but  Popish  legends  and  traditions  are  in  no  in- 
stance to  be  relied  on^ 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  VIRGIN  MARY, 

Mother  of  Jesus* 

W  E  are  taught  by  the  predictions  of  the  prophets, 
that  a  virgin  was  to  be  the  mother  of  the  promised 
Messiah,  and  we  are  also  assured  by  the  unanimous  con- 
currence of  the  evangehsts,  that  this  virgin's  name  was 
Mary,  the  daughter  of  Joachim  and  Anne,  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  and  married  to  Joseph  of  the  same  tribe. 
The  Scripture  indeed  tells  us  no  more  of  the  blessed 
virgin's  parents,  than  that  she  was  of  the  family  of  Da- 
vid, and  of  the  town  of  Bethlehem;  not  so  much  as 
their  itames  b.eing  mentioned,  unless  by  Heli,  in  St. 
Luke's  genealogy  we  understand  Joachim  the  virgin's- 
father.  All  that  is  said  concerning  the  birth  of  Mary 
and  her  parents,  is  to  be  found  only  in  some  apocry- 
phal writings;  and  which  however  are  very  ancient.  St, 
John  says  that  Mary  the  wife  of  Cleopas,  who  was  the 
mother  of  those  which  the  gospel  styles  our  Lord's  bre- 
thren, was  the  virgin's  sister.  Mary  then  v/as  of  the 
royal  race  of  David;  she  was  allied  likewise  to  the 
family  of  Aaron,  since  Elizabeth  the  wife  of  Zachari- 
as,  and  mother  of  John  the  Baptist,  was  the  cousin  of 
Mary, 

In  conformity  to  the  Greek  church,  the  Latins  have 
for  some  centuries  past  honoured  St.  Joachim  as  the  Hi- 
ther of  St.  Anne,  the  mother  of  the  blessed  virgin;  and 
though  God  hath  not  been  pleased  to  acquaint  us  with 
the  particulars  of  her  birth;  yet  the  Roman  church,, 
from  a  grateful  sense  of  the  infinite  blessings  conveyed 
to  us  by  the  blessed  Jesus,  hath  long  celebrated  her 
conception  on  the  eighth  of  December  in  the  West,  and 
on  the  ninth  in  the  East,  cUid  her  nativity  on  the  eighth 
of  September.  An  anniversary  festival  of  her  repre- 
sentation in  the  temple  is  kept  likewise  on  the  twenty- 
first  of  November;  and  it  is  commonly  beUved,  that 


LIFE  OF  THE  VIRGIX  :\IARV.  313 

she  was  consecrated  to  God  at  three  years  of  age:  but 
not  to  build  upon  uncertainties,  thus  much  we  are  as- 
sured by  the  testimony  of  an  angel,  that  she  was  liap- 
py  above  all  other  women  in  the  divine  favour ;  that 
she  was  full  of  grace  ;  and  that  the  Lord  was  in  a  pe- 
culiar manner  w^ith  her. 

Whether  the  holy  virgin  immediately  after  the  an- 
nunciation, went  up  to  the  passover  at  Jerusalem  (as 
some  have  imagined,  this  being  the  season  of  the  year 
for  it)  or  not,  we  have  no  account  from  the  evangelist 
St.  Luke  :  but  this  he  assures  us  that  a  little  while 
after  she  set  out  for  Hebron,  a  city  in  the  mountains 
of  Judah  in  order  to  visit  her  cousin  Elizabeth,  to  con- 
gratulate herupon  her  pregnancy,  which  she  had  learn- 
ed from  the  angel,  at  an  age  w^hen  such  a  blessing  was 
not  usually  to  be  expected. 

No  sooner  had  Mary  entered  the  house,  and  began 
to  speak,  than,  upon  Elizabeth's  hearing  the  voice  of 
her  cousin's  salutation,  her  child,  young  John  the  Bap- 
tist, transported  with  supernatural  emotions  of  joy, 
leaped  in  her  womb  :  whereupon  she  was  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  being  by  divine  inspiration  acquaint- 
ed with  the  mystery  of  the  incarnation,  she  re-saluted 
ISlary,  and  cried  out.  Blessed  art  thuii  amongst  womeriy 
and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  iconih,  Atjid  whence  is 
this  to  mey  that  the  mother  of  my  Lord  should  come  to 
vie  F  For  lo,  as  soon  as  the  voice  of  thij  salutation  sounds 
ed  in  mine  ears  the  babe  leaped  in  my  loumbfor  joy. 
And  blessed  is  she  that  believed  :  Jor  there  shall  be  a 
performance  of  those  things  which  were  told  her  from 
the  Lord,  Then  Mary,  tilled  w  ith  acknowledgments 
and  supernatural  light,  praised  God,  saying,  My  soul 
dotli  magnify  the  Lord,  and  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in 
God  my  Saviour^  &:c. 

Mary  having  continued  here  about  three  months,  till 
Elizabeth  w^as  delivered,  as  St.  Ambrose  thinks,  that 
she  might  see  him  on  whose  account  she  principally 

VOL.  ii.  R  r 


4l^  U¥t  OF  THE  VmciN  MAUY. 

made  that  visits  returned  afterwards  to  her  own  house 
at  Nazareth,  waiting  tor  the  time  of  her  delivery  ;  but 
when  she  w^as  ready  to  be  deHvered,  an  edict  was  pub-^ 
lished  by  Caesar  Augustus,  in  the  year  of  the  world 
4000,  the  first  of  Christ,  and  the  third  before  the  vul- 
gar JEra. ;  which  decreed  that  all  the  subjects  of  the  Ro- 
man empire  should  go  to  the  respective  cities  and 
places  ;  there  to  have  their  names  registered  according 
to  their  families.  Thus  Joseph  and  Mary,  who  were 
both  of  the  lineage  of  David,  repaired  to  their  city  of 
Bethlehem,  the  original  and  native  place  of  their  fami- 
ly :  but  while  they  were  in  this  city,  the  time  being 
fulfilled  in  which  Mary  was  to  be  delivered, she  brought 
forth  her  first-born  son,  wrapped  him  in  swaddling 
clothes  and  laid  him  in  the  manger  ot  the  stable  whither 
they  had  retired ;  for  they  could  find  no  place  in  the 
public  inns,  because  of  the  great  concourse  of  people 
that  were  then  at  Bethlehem  on  the  same  occasion  ;  or 
they  were  forced  to  withdraw  into  the  stable  of  the 
inn,  not  being  able  to  get  a  more  convenient  place  for 
her  to  be  delivered  in. 

The  angels  made  the  birth  of  Christ  known  to  the 
shepherds  who  were  at  this  time  in  the  fields  near  Beth- 
lehem, and  who  came  in  the  night  to  see  Mary  and 
Joseph,  and  the  child  lying  in  the  manger,  in  order  to 
pay  him  their  tribute  of  adoration.  Mary  took  notice 
of  all  these  things,  and  laid  them  up  in  her  heart.  Some 
time  after  came  the  Magi,  or  wise  men  from  the  East, 
and  brought  to  Jesus  the  mysterious  presents  of  gold, 
frankincense,  and  myrrh,  having  been  directed  thither 
bv  a  star  which  led  the  wav  before  them  to  the  very 
house  where  the  babe  lay.  After  this,  being  warned 
by  an  angel  that  appeared  to  them  in  a  dream,  they 
returned  into  their  own  country  by  a  way  difl^erent 
from  that  by  which  they  came,  witl^out  giving  Herod 
the  intelligence  he  wanted  ;  which  he  pretended  was 
in  order  to  come  and  worship  the  babe,  though  his 
real  design  was  to  cut  him  off,  from  ^  jealousy  of  his 
rivalling  that  artful  monarch  in  his  sovereignty  over 
th^  Jews. 


LIFE  OF  THE  VIRGIN  MARY.  315 

The  time  of  Mary's  purification  being  now  come, 
that  is,  forty  days  after  the  birth  of  Jesus,  she  went  to 
lerusaleni,  to  present  her  son  in  the  temple  ;  and  there 
to  offer  the  sacrifice  appointed  by  the  law,  for  the  pu- 
rification of  women  after  child-birth.  At  that  time 
there  was  at  Jerusalem  an  old  man  named  Simeon^ 
who  was  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  had  received 
a  secret  assurance,  that  he  should  not  die  till  he  had 
seen  Christ  the  Lord  :  Accordingly,  he  came  into  the 
temple  by  the  impulse  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  taking 
the  child  Jesus  in  his  arms,  blessed  the  Lord  ;  and  then 
addressing  himself  to  Mary,  said,  This  child  is  sent  for 
the  raising  and  falling  of  many  in  Israel ;  and  for  a 
sign  ivhich  shall  be  spoken  against  ;  even  so  far  as  that 
thy  own  soul  shall  be  pierced  as  with  a  sword,  that 
the  secret  thoughts  in  the  hearts  of  many  may  be  dis- 
covered and  laid  open. 

When  Joseph  and  Mary  were  preparing  afterwards 
to  return  to  their  own  country  of  Nazareth  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  appeared  to  Joseph  in  a  dream,  bidding 
him  to  retire  into  Egypt  with  Mary  and  the  child,  be- 
cause Herod  had  a  design  to  destroy  Jesus.  Joseph 
obeyed  the  admonition,  and  continued  in  Egypt  till 
after  the  death  of  Herod  ;  when  both  he  and  Mary 
returned  to  Nazareth,  not  daring  to  go  to  Bethlehem, 
because  it  was  in  the  jurisdiction  of  Archelaus,  the  son 
and  successor  of  Herod  the  Great  who  was  a  cruel 
prince. 

Now  it  being  the  constant  practice  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  to  go  every  year  to  Jerusalem,  to  the  feast  of 
the  passover;  and  when  Jesus  was  twelve  years  of 
age,  they  brought  him  with  them  to  the  capital.  When 
the  days  of  the  festival  were  ended  they  set  out  on  their 
return  home  ;  but  the  child  Jesus  continued  at  Jeru- 
salem, without  their  perceiving  it,  and  thinking  that 
he  might  be  with  some  of  the  company^  they  went  on 
a  day's  journey  -,  when  not  finding  him  amongst  their 
acquaintance;  thev  returned  t»o  Jerusalem,  seeking  fo; 


Ul5  LIFE  OF  IHE  VIRGIN  MAHY. 

him  ;  three  days  after,  they  found  him  In  the  ternple, 
sitting  amongst  the  doctors,  hearing  them,  and  asking 
them  questions.  When  they  saw  him,  they  were  filled 
with  astonishment;  and  Mary  said  to  him,  my  son, 
why  hast  thou  served  us  thus  ?  Behold  thy  father  and 
myself,  who  have  sought  thee  in  great  affliction.  Jesus 
answered  them,  Why  did  you  seek  me?  Did  not  you 
know  that  I  must  be  employed  about  my  Father^s  busi- 
ness ?  afterwards  he  returned  with  them  to  Nazareth, 
and  lived  with  filial  submission  to -them:  but  his 
mother  laid  up  all  these  things  in  her  heart.  The  gos- 
pel says  nothing  more  of  the  virgin  Mary,  till  the  mar- 
riage at  Cana  of  Galilee,  where  she  was  present  with 
Jesus  her  son. 

The  blessed  Jesus,  In  the  thirtieth  year  of  the  vulgar 
a^ra,  resolved  to  manifest  himself  to  the  world,  and 
therefore,  went  to  be  baptised  by  St.  John,  from  thence 
into  the  wilderness,  and  thence  to  the  above-mention- 
ed wedding,  to  which  he,  with  his  mother  and  disci- 
ples, had  been  invited.  At  this  entertainment,  the  pro- 
vision of  wine  being  somewhat  scanty  (probably  be- 
cause the  friends  of  the  mdrried  couple  were  in  hum- 
ble circumstances)  Christ's  mother  told  her  son,  they 
had  no  wine,  not  doubting  of  his  pov/er  to  supply 
them  :  to  which  Jesus  answered  in  terms  which  had 
some  appearance  of  a  rebuke,  Woman,  tvhat  Jtave  I 
to  do  with  thee  f  mine  hour  is  not  yet  come. 

Six  great  stone  pitchers  being  in  the  room,  Jesus 
ordered  them  to  be  filled  brimfull  of  w^ater  ;  and  after- 
wards commanded  the  servants  to  fill  out  and  carry  it 
to  the  master  ot  the  feast,  who,  on  tasting  it,  found  it 
to  be  excellent  v^'ine.  This  is  the  first  miracle  Jesus 
wrought  at  the  beginning  of  his  public  ministry;  and 
from  hence  our  Lord  went  to  Capernaum  with  his 
mother  and  brethren. 

It  is  true,  we  learn  from  the  third  chapter  of  St, 
Mark,  that  on  a  certain  day  in  the  year  of  Christ 


LIFE  OF  THE  VIRGIN  MARY.  317 

thirty-four,  and  vulgar  a:ra  thirty-one,  that  as  Jesus 
Christ  was  teaching  in  a  house  at  Capernaum,  so 
great  a  crowd  of  people  stood  about  him,  that  neither 
he  nor  his  disciples  had  time  to  take  any  refreshment  ; 
which  caused  a  report  to  be  spread  abroad,  that  he  had 
fainted  away,  or  fallen  into  a  swoon.     The  virgin  and 
the  brethren  or  relations  of  Jesus  came  to  see  what  had 
given  occasion  to  this  report ;  and  when  they  could 
not  get  into  the  house  for  the  throngs  of  people,  they 
caused  a  messafre  to  be  conveved  from  one  to  another, 
till  it  was  told  Jesus,*'  That  his  mother  and  his  breth- 
ren were  at  the  door,  and  desired  to  speak  with  him." 
Jesus  being  accordingly  informed  of  their  coming,  and 
that  they  waited  to  speak  with  him,  being  at  that  in- 
stant engaged  in  the  work  of  his  ministry,  preaching 
the  word  of  God,  he  made  this  reply.  Who  is  my  mother^ 
and  zcho  are  viy  brethren  f  And  looking  upon  those 
that  were  round  about  him,  he  said,   these  are  my 
mother  and  brethren  ;  declaring,  That  zvhosoever  did 
the  will  oj  his  heavenly  FatJier,  the  same  was  his  mother^ 
and  sister,  and  brother.     This  was  what  Christ  had 
taught  in  another  place,  that  we  must  prefer  God  to 
all  human  relations,  and  give  the  preference  to  his  ser- 
vice :  but  this  saying  could  not  reflect  upon  his  mother, 
who  was  amongst  the  principal  of  those  who  did  the 
will  of  his  heavenly  Father. 

Immediately  upon  Mary's  approach,  a  woman  of 
the  company  said  with  a  loud  voice,  directing  her 
words  to  Jesus  :  Blessed  is  the  xvomb  that  hare  thce^ 
and  the  paps  zvhich  thou  hast  sucked.  To  which  he 
replied,  Yea,  rather  blessed  are  they  that  hear  the  word 
of  God  and  keep  it.  Not  intimating  hereby,  that  she 
who  had  the  honour  to  bear  him,  did  not  deserve  to 
be  called  blessed  throughout  all  generations ;  but  that 
even  her  happiness  consisted  more  in  doing  the  will 
of  Christ  than  in  giving  him  a  human  body,  which 
was  indeed  not  her  own  act,  but  eftected  by  the  pov.^e^ 
of  God- 


518  LIFE  OF  THE  VIRGIN  MARY. 

We  have  no  further  account  of  the  holy  virgin  from 
this  time,  till  we  find  her  in  Jerusalem  at  the  last  pass- 
over  our  Saviour  celebrated  there ;  which  was  in  the 
thirty-sixth  year  of  Christ,  and  thirty-third  of  the  vul- 
gar asra.  In  this  city  she  saw  all  that  was  transacted 
against  him,  followed  him  to  Mount  Calvary,  and 
stayed  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  during  the  passion  of 
her  blessed  Son.  We  cannot  doubt  but  her  soul  was 
at  this  time  pierced  through,  as  old  Simeon  had  pro- 
phesied, with  the  most  acute  pains,  for  the  death  of 
such  a  Son.  Yet  her  constancy  was  remarkable  :  for 
when  the  apostles  were  all  frightened  away  from  their 
Master,  she,  with  a  courage  undaunted,  and  worthy 
of  the  mother  of  Christ,  continued  even  in  the  midst 
of  the  executioners,  being  prepared  to  die  with  her 
Son,  who  was  now  become  her  Saviour ;  who  being 
now  ready  to  leave  the  world,  and  seeing  his  mother 
at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  his  beloved  disciple  St. 
John  near  her,  he  bequeathed  her  to  him  by  his  last 
will  and  testament,  saying  to  his  mother,  JVo7na?i,  be- 
hold thy  Son  ;  and  to  his  disciple.  Behold  thy  mother. 
And  from  that  hour  the  disciple  took  her  home  to  his 
own  house,  and  provided  for  her. 

Some  authors  of  the  fifth  century  think  the  virgin 
Mary  died  and  was  buried  at  Jerusalem,  or  rather  in 
her  sepulchre  at  Gethsemane,  near  that  city,  w^here 
to  this  day,  it  is  shewn  in  a  magnificent  church  dedi- 
cated to  her. 

The  ancient  fathers  of  the  Eastern  and  Western 
churches,  asserted  her  perpetual  virginity,  and  St.  Au- 
gustine tells  us,  that  this  is  one  of  those  points  which 
we  ought  to  receive  as  of  apostolic  tradition,  since  the 
Holy  Scripture  gives  us  no  more  account  of  it,  than 
by  only  remarking  how  fully  the  blessed  virgin  was 
resolved  to  serve  God  with  an  entire  purity.  The  title 
which  hath  been  constantly  appropriated  to  her  in  all 
ages,  as  often  as  she  is  mentioned,  is  a  good  argument 
to  confirm  cur  belief  concerning  this:    See  Ezekiel 


MARY  MAGDALENE. 

A  HIS  remarkable  convert  was  a  native  either  of 
Magdala,  a  town  in  Galilee,  on  the  other  side  of  Jor- 
dan, or  Magdalos,  a  town  situated  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Carmel,  and  had  her  surname  from  the  place 
of  her  birth.  Some  affirm,  that  she  was  the  sinner  men- 
tioned by  St.  Luke,  ch.  vii.  37,  &c.  but  this  opinion 
is  built  only  on  conjecture.  Both  St.  Matthew  and 
St.  Mark  tell  us,  that  Jesus  had  cast  out  of  her  seven 
devils ;  which  some  understand  in  a  literal,  and  others 
in  a  figurative  sense. 

Mary  became,  however  a  constant  attendant  on  the 
blessed  Jesus,  after  he  had  removed  her  plague.  She 
followed  him  to  Mount  Calvary,  continued  amidst  the 
Roman  guards  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  with  the  holy 
virgin,  and  saw  his  precious  body  laid  in  the  tomb  ; 
after  which  she  returned  to  Jerusalem,  in  order,  after 
the  Sabbath,  to  embalm  her  Lord. 

She  also  carried  the  welcome  tidings  to  Peter  and 
John,  and  our  blessed  Lord  himself  appeared  to  her 
first  after  his  resurrection.  The  apostles,  however,  did 
not  believe  her  report,  till  it  was  confirmed  by  others, 
and  they  themselves  had  seen  their  Saviour.  After 
this  event,  she  is  not  mentioned  in  sacred  writ. 


MARY,  THE  SISTER  OF  LAZARUS. 

iVIaRY,  the  sister  of  Lazarus,  with  her  sister  Mar- 
tha, lived  with  tl^eir  brother  at  Bethany,  a  village  near 
Jerusalem.  Our  dear  Redeemer  had  a  particular  af- 
fection for  this  family,  and  often  retired  to  their  house 
with  his  disciples.  One  day  (and  perhaps  the  first  time 
that  Jesus  went  thither)  ^Tartha  received  him  \^ith 


320  LIFE  OF  MARY,  SISTER  OF  LAZARUS. 

remarkable  affection,  and  took  abundance  of  pains  in 
providing  a  proper  entertainment  for  him  ;  but  Mary 
her  sister  continued  sitting  at  her  Saviour's  feet,  listen- 
ing to  his  words  with  peculiar  attention.  This  Mar- 
tha considered  as  an  instance  of  disrespect,  and  there- 
fore said  to  Jesus,  Lord,  dost  thou  not  care  that  my 
sister  hath  left  me  to  serve  thee  alone  ?  Bid  her,  there- 
fore,  that  she  help  me.  But  our  Lord  justified  Mary, 
by  telling  her  sister ;  that  she  had  chosen  the  better 
part,  which  she  should  never  be  deprived  of. 

Lazarus  their  brother,  some  time  after  this,  fell  sick, 
and  his  sisters  sent  to  acquaint  Jesus  of  the  misfor- 
tune 'y  but  he  did  not  arrive  at  Bethany  till  after  Laza- 
rus was  dead.  Martha  hearing  Jesus  was  come  into 
the  neighbourhood,  went  to  him,  and  told  him,  that  if 
he  had  not  been  absent  her  brother  had  been  still  alive. 
Jesus  promised  her,  that  her  brother  should  rise  again  : 
to  which  Martha  answered,  /  knozv  that  he  shall  rise 
again  at  the  last  day.  Jesus  replied,  /  am  tJie  resur- 
rection ajid  the  life  :  he  that  helieveth  in  me,  though 
he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live  s  and  ivhosoever  liveth 
and  believeth  in  me,  shall  never  die,  believest  thou  this  .^ 
Martha  answered,  Yea  Lord :  I  believe  that  thou  art 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  zvhich  should  come  into  the 
noorld.  Having  said  this,  she  departed,  and  gave  her 
sister  notice  privately,  that  Jesus  was  come.  Mary, 
as  soon  as  she  heard  the  welcome  tidings,  arose  and 
went  to  Jesus  :  and,  as  Martha,  had  done  before  her, 
said,  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had 
not  died.  The  blessed  Jesus  was  greatly  moved  at 
i\\Q  pathetic  complaints  of  these  worthy  sisters,  and 
on  asking  where  they  had  buried  him,  they  conducted 
him  to  the  sepulchre.  On  his  arrival  at  the  place 
where  the  body  of  Lazarus  was  deposited,  the  great 
Redeemer  of  mankind  groaned  deeply  in  his  spirit ; 
he  vvept,  he  prayed  to  his  Father,  and  then  cried  with 
a  loud  voice,  Lazarus^  come  forth.  The  dead  obeyed 
the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  5  Lazarus  immediately  re- 
vived, and  Jesus  restored  him  to  his  sisters. 


LIFE  OF  MARY  OF  CLEOPAS.  321 

During  the  supper  at  Bethany,  Mary,  to  express  her 
gratitude  to  Jesus,  took  a  pound  of  spikenard,  a  very 
precious  perfume,  and  poured  it  on  the  head  and  feet 
of  Jesus,  wiping  his  feet  with  the  hair  of  her  head: 
and  the  w^hole  house  was  filled  with  the  odour  of 
tlie  ointment.  Judas  Iscariot  was  highh'  offended  at 
this  generous  action  ;  but  his  Master  vindicated  Mary 
and  told  him,  that  by  this  she  had  performed  an  act 
preparatory  to  his  embalment,  signifying,  that  his  death 
and  burial  were  not  far  off.  This  is  the  last  account 
of  her  in  Scripture. 


MARY  OF  CLEOPAS. 

OT.  JEROM  says,  that  Mary  had  the  name  of  Cleo^ 
pas,  on  account  of  her  father,  her  iamilv,  or  some  other 
reason  not  known.  Others  believe,  with  greater  proba- 
bility, that  she  was  wife  of  Cleopas,  and  mother  of  St. 
James  the  Less.  However,  she  was  present  at  the  last 
passover,  just  before  the  death  of  our  Saviour;  she 
followed  him  to  Mount  Calvary  :  and,  during  his  pas- 
sion, she  was,  together  with  the  virgin,  at  the  foot  ol" 
his  cross  :  she  was  also  present  at  his  burial,  and  on 
the  Friday  before  had  prepared  the  perfumes  for  em- 
balming him. 

The  year  when  Mary  the  \vife  of  Cleopas  died  is  not 
known  ;  but  the  Greeks  keep  the  eighth  of  April  in 
memory  of  the  holy  w'omen  w4io  brought  perfumes  to 
embalm  the  body  of  Christ,  and  pretend  to  have 
their  bodies  at  Constantinople  in  a  church  of  the  holy 
virgin,  built  by  Justin  IT.. 


VOL.  u. 


Mary  salome,  an  hebr£w  coNVERt. 


JL  HIS  holy  woman  was  the  daughter  of  Mary  of  Cle- 
opas,  mentioned  in  the  preceding  article  and  the  sister 
of  St.  James  the  Less,  and  others,  who  are  in  Scripture 
oalled  the  brethren  of  our  Lord  :  she  was  cousin- ger- 
man  to  the  blessed  Jesus,  according  to  the  flesh,  and 
niece  to  the  blessed  virgin  Mary.  Her  proper  name 
was  Salome  and  was  improperly  called  Mary,  which 
was  the  name  of  her  mother ;  she  was  the  wife  of  Ze- 
bedee,  and  mother  of  St.  James  the  Great,  and  St.  John 
the  evangelist :  she  was  also  one  of  these  pious  women 
that  used  to  attend  upon  our  blessed  Saviour  in  his 
journeys,  and  to  minister  to  him.  It  was  she  that  re- 
questod  Jesus  to  place  her  two  sons,  James  and  John, 
the  one  on  his  right-hand  and  the  other  on  his  left  in  his 
kingdom. 

Salome  followed  our  Saviour  to  Calvary,  and  did  not 
forsake  him  even  at  the  cross :  she  was  also  one  of  the 
holy  women  who  brought  perfumes  to  embalm  him, 
and  for  that  purpose  came  early  on  the  Sunday  morn- 
ing to  the  sepulchre. 


TROPHIMUS,  A  GENTILE  CONVERT. 


1  ROPHIMUS  was  a  disciple  of  St.  Paul,  aGentile  by 
religion,  and  an  Ephesian  by  birth.  After  Paul  had 
converted  him,  he  constantly  adhered  to  him  nor  did 
he  quit  him  ever  after.  He  came  with  the  apostle  from 
Ephesus  to  Corinth,  and  kept  him  company  in  his  whole 
journey  from  Corinth  to  Jerusalem,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  fifty-eight.  The  Greeks  keep  the  fourteenth  of 
April  in  honour  of  Trophimus ;  and  say  he  was  be- 
headed by  the  command  of  Nero,  together  with  Sto 
Paul.  His  festival  is  observed  on  the  twenty-ninth  day 
of  December  by  those  of  Aries, 


TYCHICUS,  A  GENTILE  CONVERT. 


JL  YCHICUS  was  also  a  disciple  of  St.  Paul,  whom 
that  apostle  had  often  made  use  of  for  carrying  his  let- 
ters to  the  several  churches.  He  was  of  the  province 
of  Asia,  and  accompanied  St.  Paul,  when  in  the  jxar 
fifty-eight,  he  made  his  journey  from  Corinth  to  Jeru- 
salem. He  carried  the  epistle  to  the  Colosians  written 
in  the  year  sixty-one  ;  and  that  to  the  Ephesians  written 
in  sixty-five,  and  the  first  to  Timothy,  written  in  sixty- 
four. 

The  Greeks  celebrate  the  festival  of  Tychicus  on  the 
eighth  or  ninth  of  December,  and  give  him  the  title  of 
one  of  the  seventy  disciples,  and  bishop  of  Colophon, 
in  the  province  of  Asia.  Other  martyrologists  mark  his 
festival  on  the  nineteenth  of  April. 


TERTIUS,  A  GENTILE  CONVERT. 


JL  ERTIUS,  called  also  Tirentius,was  the  amanu^nsir. 
or  scribe  of  St.  Paul,  when  he  wrote  his  epistle  to  the 
Romans  in  the  year  of  Christ  fifty-eight,  as  appears  in 
the  sixteenth  chapter,  /  Tertiiis,  who  xvrote  this  cpistlt, 
salute  you  hi  the  Lord.  The  Greeks  keep  his  iestiviVl 
on  the  tenth  of  November  and  give  him  great  commen- 
dations :  and  they  make  him  successor  to  Sosipatcr  in 
the  bishoprick  of  Iconium,  in  Asia. 


LINUS,  A  GENTILE  CONVERT. 

JLflNUS  was  one  of  St.  Paul's  disciples,  who  mcntioiLs 
him  in  the  first  chapter  of  his  second  epistle  to  Timo- 
thy, "  Linus  and  Claudia,  and  all  the  brethren  greet  ye." 
St.  Irenseus,  Eusebius,  Optatus,  Epiphanius,  St.  Je- 
xovciy  and  Theodorct,  affirm,  that  Linus  succeeded  im  - 


3^4     .  LIFE  OF  ONESIPHORUS,  &c. 

mediately  to  St.  Peter  in  the  see  of  Rome  :  he  governed 
for  twelve  vears  and  some  months.  The  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  happened  during  his  pontificate,  in  the 
year  of  Christ  sevent}".  His  festival  is  kept  on  the 
fifth  of  November  by  the  Greeks,  and  on  the  twenty- 
third  of  September  by  the  Latins. 


ONESIPHORUS,  A  GENTILE  CONVERT. 

OnESIPHORUS  W3.S  a  disciple  of  St.  Paul,  and  is 
mentioned  by  him  in  the  first  chapter  of  his  second  epis- 
tle to  Timothy.  He  came  to  Rome  in  the  year  of  C  h  r  ist 
sixty-five,  while  the  apostle  was  in  prison  for  the  faith, 
and  at  a  time  wdien  almost  every  one  had  forsaken  him. 
The  Greeks  place  his  festival  on  the  twenty-ninth  of 
April  arxl  the  eighth  of  December,  and  rank  him  in  the 
order  of  the  seventy  disciples,  and  seem  to  ascribe 
martyrdom  to  him.  The  Roman  martyroiogy  on  the 
sixteenth  of  December  says,  that  he  suflered  martyr- 
dom on  the  Hellespont,  whither  he  went  to  preach  the 
gospel  along  with  Porphyrins. 


stephanus,  a  gentile  convert. 

j^TEPHANUS  was  one  of  the  principal  christians  of 
Corinth,  \\hom  St.  Paul  baptised  with  all  his  family, 
as  we  find  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians, propably  about  the  fifty-second  year  of  Christ. 

Stephanus  devoted  himself  to  the  service  of  the 
church  ;  and  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  fifty-six,  he  came 
to  St.  Paul  at  Ephes\is,  and  according  to  Chrysostom, 
brought  him  letters  w  hich  the  church  of  Corinth  wrote 
to  him,  in  order  to  consult  him  concerning  marriage, 
continency,  and  perhaps  other  subjects,  which  St.  Paul 
treats  of  in  the  said  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians.— 


LIFE  OF  PHEBE,  &c.  32i 


This  the  apostle  wrote  from  Ephesus  in  the  fifty- sixth 
year  ;  and  it  was  sent  by  Stephanus,  Fortunatus,  and 
Achaieus,  to  the  Corinthian  church. 


PHEBE,  A  DEACONNESS. 

JPhEBE,  for  whom  St.  Paul  had  a  particular  esteem 
was  adeaconness  of  the  port  of  Corinth  called  Ccnchrea : 
and  Theodoret  thinks,  that  the  apostle  lodged  at  the 
house  of  this  holy  woman  for  some  time,  while  he  con- 
tinued in  or  near  Corinth.  In  the  sixteenth  chapter  of 
Romans,  Paul  says,  /  commerid  unto  you  Phebe  our  sis- 
ter, xvhich  is  a  sei^ant  of  the  church  which  is  at  Ccn- 
chrea :  that  ye  receive  her  in  the  Lord,  as  becometh 
saints  ?  and  that  ye  assist  her  in  whatsoever  business 
she  hath  need  of  you  :  for  she  hath  been  a  succour  er  of 
many,  and  of  myself  also.  Some  moderns  ha^'e  ad- 
vanced a  notion  that  Phebe  was  wife  to  St.  Paul ;  but 
none  of  the  ancients  have  said  any  thing  like  it.  It  is 
thought  that,  in  quality  of  deaconness,  she  vv^as  employ- 
ed by  the  church  in  some  ministrations  suitable  to  her 
sex  and  condition  ;  such  as  visiting  and  instructing  the 
Christian  women  attending  them  in  their  sicknesses 
and  distributing  alms  to  them.  Phebe's  festival  is  fixed 
by  the  martyrologists  on  the  third  of  Septemljcr. 


SOSIPATER,  A  GENTILE  CONVERT. 

W  E  think,  that  it  may  be  confidently  asserted,  thai 
this  Sosipater,  who  was  at  Rome  in  tlie  lifty-eighth  year 
of  Christ,  when  St.  Paul  wrote  his  epistle  to  the  Ro- 
mans of  Bei  ea :  since  he  accompanied  Paul,  in  the  same: 
year  fifty-eight,  in  his  journey  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  who 
probably  went  with  him  from  Corinth,  whence  tlic  epis- 
tle to  the  Romans  was  written,  to  go  by  the  wa\'  of  Mace- 
donia to  Jerusalem ;  as  may  be  seen  in  the  twentietli 
chapter  cf  the  acts  of  the  apostles. 


S26  LIFE  OF  DFMAS,  &c: 

The  Latins  celebrate  his  feast  on  the  twenty-fifth  of 
June,  and  call  him  a  disciple  of  St.  Paul.  The  Greeks 
honour  him  upon  the  twenty-eighth  or  twenty-ninth 
of  April. 


DEMAS,  A  GENTILE  PROFESSOR. 

JL  HE  apostle  Paul,  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  Co^ 
losians,  mentions  Demas  as  a  native  of  Thessalonica. 
At  first  he  was  one  of  the  most  zealous  disciples  which 
this  apostle  had,  and  was  very  serviceable  to  him  at 
Rome  during  his  imprisonment  there  :  but  some  years 
after,  about  the  year  of  Christ  sixty-five,  he  foorsook 
St.  Paul,  in  order  to  follow  a  more  secular  life,  and  with- 
drew to  Thessalonica,  the  place  of  his  birth, 

Epiphanius  informs  us,  that  he  renounced  the  faith, 
and  with  Cerinthius,  Ebion  and  others,  held  Jesus 
Christ  to  be  a  mere  man:  but  others  affirm  that  he 
recovered  after  his  fall  and  suffered  martyrdom  for  the 
truth. 

ARISTARCHUS,  A  GENTILE  CONVERT, 

ArISTARCHUS  was  one  of  St.  PauPs  disciples, 
who  has  mentioned  him  in  his  epistles  to  the  Colossians 
and  Philemon  ;  he  is  also  often  mentioned  in  the  acts 
of  the  apostles.  He  was  a  Macedonian,  and  a  native 
of  Thessalonica:  he  accompanied  Paul  to  Ephesus,  and 
continued  with  him  during  the  two  years  of  his  abode 
there,  partaking  with  him  in  all  the  dangers  and  labours 
of  the  apostleship.  He  was  very  near  being  killed  in 
a  tumult  raised  by  the  Ephesian  goldsmiths. 


The  Greeks  say  he  was  bishop  of  Apamea,  in  Syria, 
and  was  beheaded  with  St.  Paul  at  Rome,  in  the  reign 
of  Nero  :  continuing  to  the  very  last  inviolably  attache^ 
to  that  apostle,  with  whom  he  had  laboured  in  the  work 
^f  the  ministry. 


CLEMENT,  A  GENTILE  CONVERT. 


JL  HIS  disciple  is  mentioned  by  St.  Paul  in  his  epistle 
to  die  Philippians,  where  the  apostle  says,  thatCkmi  nt's 
name  is  written  in  the  book  ol"  life.  The  gcjierality  of 
the  fathers,  and  other  interpreters,  make  no  question  but 
that  this  is  the  same  Clement  who  succeeded  St.  Peter, 
after  Linus  and  Cletus,  in  the  government  of  the  church 
of  Rome  ;  and  this  seems  to  be  intimated,  when  in  the 
office  for  St.  Clement's  day,  that  church  appoints  this  part 
of  the  epistle  to  the  Philippians  to  be  read.  On  the  con- 
tnu-y,  Grotius  is  of  opinion,  that  the  Clement  Paul  speaks 
of  was  no  more  tlian  a  priest  of  the  church  of  Philippi 
in  Macedonia.  We  have  no  certain  accounts  oi"  what 
happened  to  St.  Clement  during  the  persecution  under 
Domitian  ;  but  we  are  very  well  assured  that  he  li\'ed 
to  the  third  year  of  Trajan,  which  is  the  hundreth  oV 
Jesus  Christ.  His  festival  is  set  do\\ai  bv  Bedc, 
and  all  the  Latin  martyrologists,  on  the  twenty-third  oi' 
November.  The  Greeks  honour  him  on  the  t^vent3^- 
fourth  or  twenty-fifth  of  the  same  month.  He  is  rank- 
ed amongst  the  martyrs. 


ANANIAS,  A  JEWISH  CONVERT. 

A.NANIAS  was  a  disciple  of  the  blessed  Jesus:  hr 
dwelt  at  Damascus,  when  he  was  directed  in  a  vision 
from  the  Lord,  to  go  and  find  Paul,  who  had  been  lately 
converted  and  was  come  to  that  city. 

We  know  no  other  circumstances  of  Ananias's  life 
besides  this  now  related.  The  modern  Greeks  main- 
tain, that  he  was  one  of  the  seventy  disciples,  and  made 
bishop  of  Damascus;  and  that  having  obtained  tiic 
crown  of  martyrdom,  he  was  buried  in  the  same  city  : 
and  here  a  fine  church  is  to  be  seen  in  the  place  where 
he  was  interred  > 


% 


NICHOLAS,  A  DISCIPLE  AND  DEACON. 

JN  ICHOLAS  was  a  proselyte  at  Antioch,  and  there 
converted  from  the  Pagan  to  the  Jewish  religion ;  but 
the  time  of  his  birth  is  uncertain.  Afterwards  he  em- 
braced Christianity,  and  was  one  of  the  most  zealous 
and  most  holy  men  amongst  the  first  Christians :  so  that 
he  was  chosen  for  one  of  the  seven  first  deacons  of  the 
church  of  Jerusalem.  But  he  afterwards  plunged  him- 
self into  irregularities,  and  gave  beginnings  to  the  sect 
of  the  Nicolaitiuis,  to  that  of  the  Gnostics,  and  to  se- 
veral others ;  who  following  the  bent  of  their  passions, 
invented  a  thousand  different  sorts  of  crimes  and  ex- 
cesses. 


NICODEMUS,  AN  HEBREW  CONVERT. 

A  HIS  remarkable  disciple  of  our  blessed  Saviour  was 
a  Jew  by  nation,  and  by  sect  a  Pharisee.  The  gospel 
calls  him  a  ruler  of  the  Jews;  and  Christ  gives  him 
the  name  of  a  master  of  Israel.  .When  our  Saviour 
began  to  manifest  himself  b}^  his  miracles  at  Jerusalem, 
at  the  first  passover  which  he  celebrated  there  after  his 
baptism,  Nicodemus  made  no  doubt  but  that  he  was  the 
Messiah,  and  came  to  him  by  night,  that  he  might  learn 
of  him  the  way  to  salvation. 

Nicodemus,  after  this  conversation,  became  a  disci- 
ple of  Jesus  Christ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  but  he 
came  to  hear  him,  as  often  as  our  Saviour  came  to  Je- 
rusalem. It  happened  on  a  time,  that  the  priests  and 
Pharisees  had  sent  officers  to  seize  Jesus,  who  returned 
to  them,  and  made  this  report,  that  never  man  spoke  as 
he  did.  Afterwards,  Nicodemus  declared  himself  open- 
ly a  disciple  of  Jesus  Christ,  when  became  with  Jo- 
seph of  Arimathea  to  pay  the  last  duties  to  the  body 


LIFE  OF  JOSEPH  OF  ARIMATIIEA.  339 

of  Christ,  crucified;  which  they  took  down  from  the 
cross,  embahned,  and  laid  in  the  sepulchre  prepared  Ibr 
his  reception. 

When  he  died,  Gamaliel  buried  him  honourably  near 
St.  Stephen:  his  body  was  discovered  in  the  year  415, 
together  with  those  of  St.  Stephen  and  Gamaliel,  and 
the  Latin  church  pays  honour  on  the  third  of  August 
to  all  the  three. 


JOSEPH  OF  ARIMATHEA, 

An  Hebrezv  Disciple, 

J  OSEPH  of  Arimathea,  or  of  Ranatha,  Rama,  or  Ra- 
mula,  a  city  between  Joppa  and  Jerusalem,  was  a  Jewish 
senator,  and  privately  a  disciple  of  Jesus  Christ:  he 
was  not  consenting  to  the  designs  of  the  rest  of  the  Jews, 
particularly  of  the  members  of  the  Sanhedrim,  who 
condemned  and  put  Jesus  Christ  to  death:  but  whert 
our  Saviour  was  dead,  he  w^nt  boldly  to  Pilate,  and  de- 
sired the  body  of  Jesus,  in  order  to  bury  it.  This 
he  obtained;  and,  accordingly  he  buried  it  after  an  hon- 
ourable manner,  in  a  sepulchre  newly  made  in  a  gar- 
den, which  was  upon  the  same  Mount  Calvary  where 
Jesus  had  been  crucified.  After  he  had  placed  it  there 
he  closed  the  entrance  of  it  with  a  stone  cut  particu- 
larly for  this  purpose,  and  which  exactly  filled  the  open 
part. 

The  festival  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea  is  observed  by 
the  Greek  church  on  the  thirtv- first  of  July. 


vol..  ii-  '>t; 


PHILEMON,  A  GENTILE  CONVERT= 


JL  HIS  eminent  disciple  was  a  rich  citizen  of  Colosse, 
and  probably  a  native  of  that  place.  He  was  converted, 
together  with  his  wife,  to  the  Christian  faith,  by  Epa- 
phras,  a  disciple  of  St.  Paul ;  for  Paul  himself  never 
preached  in  Colosse,  though  he  wrote  an  epistle  to  the 
brethren  there. 

We  read,  that  Philemon  had  made  a  church  of  his 
house :  and  all  his  domestics,  as  well  as  himself,  were 
of  the  household  of  faith.  His  charity,  liberality,  and 
compassion  were  a  sure  refuge  to  all  who  were  in  dis- 
tress: he  followed  tlie  example  of  that  Great  Master 
in  whom  he  believed;  and  was  delighted,  when  exer- 
cised in  works  of  beneficence  and  mercy.  His  name 
is  placed  on  the  twenty-second  of  November  in  the 
martyroligies. 


PRISCILLA,  A  JEWISH  CONVERT. 

AN  the  times  of  the  apostles,  Priscilla  was  very  fa- 
mous in  the  church,  and  is  often  mentioned  by  the  sa- 
cred writers  before  her  husband  Aquila.  The}^  were 
both  Jews;  but  their  country  and  births  are  uncertain. 
They  were  at  Corinth  when  St.  Paul  came  thither,  and 
had  the  happiness  of  entertaining  him  in  their  house  a 
very  considerable  time;  the  apostle  being  of  the  same 
trade  with  Aquila;  namely,  a  maker  of  tents  of  leather, 
for  the  use  of  the  army,  and  at  which  they  both  wrought 
for  some  time,  for  their  livelihood. 

On  St.  Paul's  leaving  Corinth,  both  Aquila  and  Pris- 
cilla came  with  him  to  Ephesus,  where  they  dwelt  a 
considerable  time,  and  preached  the  gospel  with  good 
success.     Their  house  was  so  well  regulated,  that  St. 


LIFE  OF  APOLLOS.  33! 

Paul  calls  it  a  church;  an  example  that  should  hi  some 
measure,  be  followed  by  every  one  who  pretends  to  be 
a  follower  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  though  shamct\illy  ne- 
glected by  the  greatest  part  of  Christians  in  the  pre- 
sent day. 

Whether  they  died  in  peace,  or  by  the  hands  of  riiosr 
who  opposed  the  progress  of  the  Christian  faith  is  not 
known;  but  however  this  be,  they  laboured  faithfully 
to  extend  the  religion  of  Jesus;  and  therefore,  have 
been  justly  placed  amongst  the  first  preachers  of  the 
gospel  in  the  apostolic  age. 


APOLLOS,  A  JEWISH  CONVERT. 


JL  HE  ancient  writers  give  no  account  either  of  the 
birth  or  family  of  Apollos :  all  they  mention  is  that 
he  ^vas  a  Jew  of  Alexandria,  and  came  to  Ephesus 
during  St.  Paul's  absence,  who  was  gone  to  Jerusa- 
lem, to  visit  the  other  apostles  and  the  church  in  that 
city. 

This  eminent  person  was  distinguished  for  his  elo- 
quence, and  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures.  He  was  in- 
structed in  the  way  of  the  Lord,  and  as  he  spoke  with 
zeal  and  fervour,  taught  diligently  the  things  relating 
to  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  though  he  knew  only  the 
baptism  of  John. 

Apollos  was  no  sooner  come  to  Ephesus,  than  ho  be- 
gan to  speak  boldly  in  the  synagogue,  and  to  shew  that 
Jesus  was  the  Christ.  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  having 
heard  him,  took  him  home  with  them  and  instructed 
him  more  fully  in  the  ways  of  the  Almight} ,  and  bap- 
tized him.  He  was  very  useful  at  Corinth,  in  convin- 
cing the  Jewsotit  of  the  Scriptures,  and  demonstrathig 
to  them ,  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ.  Thus  lie  watered 
what  Paul  had  planted  in  that  city. 


332  LIFE  OF  TITUS. 

It  is  allowed  by  all,  that  he  was  an  active  and  power- 
ful preacher  of  that  gospel ;  and  that  great  numbers 
were,  by  his  preaching,  rendered  obedient  to  the  faith 
of  Christ. 


TITUS,  A  GENTILE  CONVERT. 


Jl  HIS  eminent  person  was  a  Heathen  by  religion  and 
birth,  but  converted  by  St.  Paul  who  calls  him  his  son. 
Titus  was  sent  by  Paul  to  Corinth,  upon  occasion  of 
some  disputes  which  then  divided  the  church.  He  was 
yery  well  recei^^ed  by  the  Corinthians,  and  very  much 
satisfied  with  their  ready  compliance ;  but  would  re- 
ceive nothing  from  them,  imitating  thereby  the  distress- 
edness  of  his  Master,  who  sought  not  theirs,  but  them. 

He  went  from  Corinth  to  St.  Paul  into  Macedonia, 
and  gave  him  an  account  of  the  state  of  the  Corinthian 
church.  A  little  while  after,  the  apostle  desired  him 
to  return  again  to  Corinth,  to  set  things  in  order  against 
his  coming.  Titus  readily  undertook  this  journey,  and 
departed  immediately,  carrying  with  him  Paul's  second 
letter  to  the  Corinthians. 

Titus  was  made  bishop  of  the  isle  of  Crete,  about 
the  sixty-third  year  of  Christ,  w^hen  St.  Paul  was  obli- 
ged to  quit  this  island,  in  order  to  take  care  of  the  other 
churches.  The  foliovvdng  year  he  WTote  to  him  to  de- 
iiire,  that  as  soon  as  he  should  have  sent  Tychicus  or 
Artemas  to  him  for  supplying  his  place  in  Crete,  Titus 
would  come  to  him  to  Nicopolis  in  Macedonia,  or  to 
Nicopoiis  in  Epirus  upon  the  gulf  of  Ambracia,  where 
the  apostle  intended  to  pass  his  winter.  The  subject 
of  this  epistle  is  to  represent  to  Titus  what  are  the  qual- 
ities that  a  bishop  should  be  endued  with. 

St.  PauPs  epistle  to  Titus  has  always  been  acknow- 
ledged by  the  church.  The  Marcioiiates  did  not  receive 


LIFE  OF  TIMOTHY.  315 

it,  nor  did  the  Basilidians,  and  some  other  Heretics  ; 
but  Tartian,  the  head  of  the  Encratites,  received  it,  and 
preferred  it  before  all  the  rest.  It  is  not  certainly  known 
by  whom  it  was  sent  nor  from  what  place  it  was  written. 

It  appears,  that  Titus  was  deputed  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel in  Dalmatia ;  and  he  was  still  there  in  the  year  six- 
ty-five, when  the  apostle  wrote  his  second  epistle  to 
Timothy.  He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-four,  and  was 
buried  in  Crete.  His  festival  is  kept  by  the  Greeks 
on  the  25th  of  August,  and  on  the  fourth  of  January  by 
the  Latin  church. 


TIMOTHY,  A  GENTILE  CONVERT. 

JtiLE  was  born,  according  to  some,  at  Lystra  ;  or,  ac- 
cording to  others,  at  Derbe.  His  father  wajs  a  Gentile, 
but  his  mother  a  Jewess,  whose  name  w^as  Eunice,  and 
that  of  his  grandmother  Lais.  He  was  a  convert  and  a 
disciple  of  St.  Paul. 

We  take  notice  of  these  particulars,  because  St.  Paul 
commends  their  piety,  and  the  good  education  ^vhich 
they  had  given  Tnnothy.  When  Paul  came  to  Derbe 
and  Lystra  about  the  year  of  Chtiist  fifty-one  or  filty- 
two,  the  brethren  gave  a  very  advantageous  testimony 
of  the  merit  and  good  dispositions  of  Timothy ;  and 
the  apostle  would  have  him  along  with  him  ;  but  he 
circumcised  him  at  Lystra,  before  he  received  him  into 
his  company. 

Timothy  applied  himself  to  labour  with  St.  Paul  in 
the  business  of  the  gospel ;  and  did  him  very  import- 
ant services,  through  the  whole  course  of  his  preaching. 

Timothy  accompanied  St.  Paul  to  Macedonia,  to 
Philippi,  to  Thessalonica,  to  Berea;  and  when  the 
apostle  went  from  Bcrea,  he  left  Timothy  and  Silas 


.^3^  LIFE  OF  ST.  STEPHEN. 

there  to  confirm  the  converts.  When  he  came  to  Athens, 
he  sent  to  Timothy  to  come  thither  to  him  ;  and  when 
he  was  come,  and  had  given  an  account  of  the  churches 
of  Macedonia,  Paul  sent  him  back  to  Thessalonica, 
from  whence  he  afterwards  returned  with  Silas,  and 
came  to  Paul  at  Corinth.  There  he  continued  with 
him,  and  the  apostle  mentions  with  him  Silas,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  two  epistles,  which  he  then  wrote  to 
the  church  at  Thessalonica.  In  the  year  sixty -three, 
when  Paul  wrote  to  the  Hebrews,  he  tells  them  that 
Timothy  was  come  out  of  prison ;  but  he  gives  us  no 
circumstances  either  of  the  imprisonment  of  this  dis- 
ciple, or  of  his  release.  In  sixty-four,  when  Paul  re- 
turned from  Rome,  he  left  Timothy  at  Ephesus,  to 
take  care  of  that  church,  of  which  he  was  the  first  Bi- 
shop, as  he  is  recognized  by  the  council  of  Chalcedon. 
Paul  wrote  to  Timothy  from  Macedonia,  the  first  of 
the  two  letters  which  are  addressed  to  him. 

We  may  safely  affirm,  that^  if  he  did  not  die  before 
the  year  ninety-seven,  he  must  be  the  angel  of  the  church 
of  Ephesus,  to  whom  St.  John  writes.  Rev.  ii.  2-— 5  : 
though  the  reproaches  which  the  Holy  Ghost  make  to 
him,  &:c.  of  having  left  his  first  love,  do  not  seem  to 
belong  to  so  holy  a  man  as  Timothy  was. 


ST.  STEPHEN,  THE  PROTO-MARTYR. 

W  HEN  the  seven  deacons  were  chosen,  we  find  Ste- 
phen was  always  placed  at  their  head,  as  the  chief  and 
most  worthy  ;  and  it  is  generally  believed  that  he  had 
been  brought  up  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel.  However, 
he  was  remarkably  zealous  for  the  cause  of  religion, 
and  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  working  many  wonderful 
miracles  before  the  people,  and  pressing  them  with  the 
greatest  earnestness  to  embrace  the  doctrines  of  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Chkist. 


LTFi:  OF  ST.  SrFPHEN.  335 

The  Jews  were  highly  provoked  at  the  zeal  of  Ste- 
phen, and  some  of  the  synagague  of  the  freed  men  of  . 
Cyrenia,  Alexandria,  and  other  plaees,  entered  into  a 
dispute  with  him  ;  but  being  unable  to  resist  the  wis- 
dom and  spirit  by  which  he  spake,  they  suborned 
false  witnesses  against  him,  to  testify  that  they  heard 
him  blaspheme  against  Moses  and  against  God.  Nor 
did  they  stop  here  :  they  stirred  up  the  people  by  their 
calumnies  :  so  that  they  dragged  him  before  the  coun- 
cil of  the  nation,  or  great  Sanhedrim,  where  they  pro- 
duced false  witnesses  against  him,  who  deposed,  that 
they  had  heard  him  speak  against  the  temple,  and  against 
the  law,  and  affirm  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  would  de- 
stroy the  holy  place,  and  abolish  the  law  of  Moses. — 
Stephen,  supported  by  his  own  innocence,  and  an  in- 
visible Power  from  on  high,  appeared  undaunted  in 
the  midst  of  this  assembly,  and  his  countenance  shone 
like  that  of  an  angel. 

The  Jewish  council  were  so  hisfhlv  enrajred  at  the 
speech  of  Stephen,  especially  the  latter  part  of  it,  that 
they  gnashed  their  teeth  against  him  :  but  Stephen  lift- 
ing up  his  eyes  to  hea\'en,  saw  the  glory  of  God,  and 
Jesus  standing  at  the  right  hand  of  Omnipotence; 
upon  which  he  said  to  the  council,  I  see  the  heavens 
open^  and  the  So7i  of  man  standing  at  the  right  hand  of 
God.  This  so  greatly  provoked  the  Jews,  that  they 
cried  out  with  one  voice,  and  stopped  their  ears,  as  if 
they  had  heard  some  dreadful  blasphemy  ;  and  falling 
upon  him,  they  dragged  him  out  of  the  city,  and  stoned 
him  to  death. 

It  is  related  in  Scripture,  that  St.  Stephen,  while  they 
were  mangling  his  body  w^ith  stones,  was  praying  to 
God  for  their  pardon.  Lord,  said  he,  lay  not  this  sin 
to  their  c/iarge.  And  then  calling  on  his  dear  Redeemer 
to  receive  his  spirit,  he  yielded  up  his  soul.  Some  pi- 
ous persons  who  beheld  the  martyrdom  of  this  good 
man,  took  care  to  bury  his  remains ;  and  the  church 
attended  his  funeral  with  great  lamentations. 


ST.  SILAS,  OR  SYLVANUS, 

j4n  Hebrew  Disciple, 


JL  HIS  holy  person  was,  according  to  St  Luke,  a  chief 
man  amongst  the  brethren,  an  expression  which  indi- 
cates that  he  was  one  of  the  seventy  disciples  :  but  the 
•first  account  \ve  have  of  him  is  in  the  transaction  rela- 
ting to  the  dispute  between  the  Jewish  and  .Christian 
converts,  with  regard  to  the  necessity  of  keeping  the 
law  of  Moses,  when  they  chose  Paul,  Barnabas,  Judas 
and  Silas,  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  to  advise  with  the  apos- 
tles concerning  this  question. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  when  the  dispute  happened  between 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  which  terminated  in  a  rupture,  Si- 
las joined  himself  to  Paul,  and  became  his  companion 
and  assistant  in  the  great  work  of  preaching  the  gospel 
to  the  Gentiles.  They  first  visited  the  churches  of 
Syria  and  Cilicia  ;  from  thence  they  passed  into  Lyco- 
nia,  Phrygia,  and  Galatia ;  and  lastly,  they  crossed  the 
sea  and  came  into  Macedonia. 

During  their  stay  at  Philippi,  they  found  a  young 
woman  possessed  with  an  unclean  spirit,  who  followed 
them  several  days,  till  Paul  cast  out  the  evil  spirit,  and 
delivered  her  from  so  dreadful  a  plague.  This  action 
provoked  the  masters  of  the  young  woman  ;  for  she  ac- 
quired considerable  gains  by  the  oracles  and  predic- 
tions the  devil  pronounced  by  making  use  of  her  or- 
gans :  they  therefore  seized  upon  Paul  and  Silas,  drag- 
ged them  before  the  magistrates,  and  accused  them  of 
introducing  cuiitoms  amongst  them,  contrary  to  those 
of  the  Romans ;  so  that  the  magistrates  ordered  that 
Paul  and  Silas  should  be  scourged,  and  committed  to 
prison  :  but  in  the  night  time,  there  ^vas  a  great  earth- 
quake, the  doors  of  the  'prison  opened,  and  the  fetters 
of  the  prisoners  fell  off  without  any  human  assistance. 

Departing  from  Philippi,  they  travelled  to  Thessalo- 
nica  and  Berea,  where  they  preached  the  doctrines  of 
the  gospel ;  and  Paul  continuing  his  journey  to  Athens  : 


LIFE  OF  ST.  PHILIP.  337 

sent  Silas  thither,  though  they  did  not  meet  llll  iliev 
both  arrived  at  Corinth,  where  St.  Paul  wrote  his  two 
epistles  to  the  Thessalonian  church. 


ST.  PHILIP,  THE  DEACON, 

An  Hebrew  Convert* 

It  is  supposed  that  Philip  was  a  native  of  Caesarea 
in  Galilee,  it  being  certain  that  his  daughters  lived  in 
that  city ;  however,  he  was  one  of  the  seven  deacons 
chosen  by  the  apostles  soon  after  our  Saviour's  resur- 
rection. 

All  the  Christians,  except  the  apostles,  having  after 
the  death  of  Stephen,  left  Jerusalem,  and  dispersed 
themselves  in  several  parts,  Philip  went  down  to  preach 
the  gospel  at  Samaria,  where  he  wrought  many  mira- 
cles, and  converted  great  numbers  to  the  faith  ;  he  also 
baptized  them,  but  being  only  a  deacon,  could  not  ad- 
minister the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper. 

It  is  probable  Philip  was  at  Samaria  when  the  angel 
directed  him  to  go  towards  the  South,  to  the  road  that 
leads  from  Jerusalem  to  Old  Gaza,  an  ancient  citv  in 
the  route  to  Egypt.  Philip  obeyed  the  summons  of 
the  heavenly  messenger,  and  there  met  with  an  Ethio- 
pian eunuch,  belonging  to  Candace,  queen  of  Ethiopia  : 
a  person  who  was  highly  esteemed  by  his  mistress,  as 
well  as  intrusted  with  the  care  of  all  her  revenues,  and 
who  had  been  at  Jerusalem  to  worship  the  Almiglity 
in  that  city. 

When  the  chariot  of  this  Ethiopian  appeared  in  the 
sight  of  Philip,  the  angel  bid  him  advance  towards  tlic 
stranger :  he  immediately  obeyed,  and  heard  the  eunuch 
reading  a  passage  of  the  prophet  Isaiah ;  upon  which 
Philip  asked  him,  if  he  understood  what  he  was  read- 

VOL.  ii.  u  \\ 


:\38  LIFE  OF  ST.  PHILIP. 

ing  ?  And  the  eunuch  ans^vered,  How  should  I  under- 
stand, except  some  person  should  explain  it  to  me : 
desiring  Philip,  that  he  ^vould  come  and  sit  down  by 
him  in  the  chariot.  The  passage  he  read  was  this ; 
He  was  led  as  a  sheep  to  the  slaughter  ;  and  as  a  lamb 
before  his  shearers  is  dumb  so  he  openeth  not  his  mouth* 
Having  finished  this  passage,  the  eunuch  desired  to 
know  whom  the  prophet  intended  ;  •■  Is  it,  says  he,  him- 
self the  prophet  here  means,  or  spme  other  man."  In 
answer  to  the  question  proposed  by  the  eunuch,  Philip 
began  to  instruct  him  concerning  the  Redeemer  of  the 
world,  the  man  Christ  Jesus;  and  afterwards  bap- 
tized him,  and  he  became  a  member  of  the  church  of 
Christ. 

The  sacred  writers  are  silent  with  regard  to  the  actions 
of  Philip,  after  the  time  of  his  baptizing  the  Ethiopian 
eunuch— but  the  Greek  ecclesiastical  writers  say,  that 
he  left  Palestine  and  travelled  to  Tralles,  in  the  Lesser 
Asia,  where  he  founded  a  church,  of  which  he  was  both 
the  bishop  and  apostle ;  and  where,  after  long  labouring  in 
the  vineyard  of  his  Master,  and  working  many  miracles, 
he  slept  in  peace,  and  v/as  buried  in  the  church  he  had 
caused  to  be  erected. 


HAVING  now  given  the  most  ample  account  pos- 
sible of  the  followers  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  the  persons 
who  spread  the  light  of  the  glorious  gospel  over  the 
whole  world,  removed  the  veil  of  ignorance  and  super- 
stition drawn  over  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  and  taught 
us  the  method  of  attaining  eternal  happiness  in  the 
courts  of  the  new  Jerusalem— may  it  be  our  highest 
ambition  to  follow  their  bright  example  as  they  follow- 
ed Christ;  may  we  imitate  their  faith,  piety,  hope, 
and  love  :  then  shall  we  pass  through  things  temporal 
in  such  a  manner,  that  we  shall  finally  gain  the  things 
that  are  eternal,  and  be  admitted  as  worthy  guests  at 
the  marriage -supper  of  the  Lamb,  to  adore  and  praise 
him,  and  live  and  reign  with  him  in  his  heavenly  king- 
dom for  ever  and  ever.     So  be  it. 


A  COMPLETE,  GENERAL  VIEW 


OF  THE 


APOSTLES  AND  THEIR  SUCCESSORS, 

IN  THE  FIVE  GREAT  CHURCHES  FOUNDED  BY 
THEM,  THENCE  CALLED  BY  THE  ANCIENTS, 

APOSTOLIC  CHURCHES: 

During  the  first  three  hundred  yeai's  of  the 
Christian  iEra. 

THE  CHURCH  AT  ANTIOCH,  IN  SYRIA. 

W  E  place  this  first,  partly  because  it  is  generally  ac- 
knowledged, even  by  the  Romish  writers,  that  a  church 
was  founded  here  by  St.  Peter  some  considerable  time 
before  that  at  Rome;  partly  because  here  it  was  that  the 
venerable  name  of  Christians  did  first  commence.  In 
which  respect  the  fathers  in  the  coimcil  at  Constantino- 
ple, under  Nectarius,  in  their  synodicon  to  them  at  Rome, 
style  the  church  at  Antioch,  77ie  most  ancient  and  truly 
apostolical ;  and,  St.  Chrysostom,  the  head  oj  the  whole 
world.  The  succession  of  its  bishops,  till  the  time  of 
Constantine  (which  shall  be  the  boundary  of  this  ac- 
count) was  in  the  following  order : 

1.  St.  Peter  the  apostle,  who  governed  this  church, 
at  least  seven  years :  Nicephorus  of  Constantinople  says 
eleven.  2.  Evodius,  who  sat  twenty-three  }'ears.  The 
disciples  w^ere  first  called  Christians  at  Antioch  in  his 
time.  3.  Ignatius,  after  near  forty  years  presidency 
over  this  church,  was  carried  out  of  Syria  to  Rome,  and 
there  thrown  to  wild  beasts  in  the  theatre,  A.  D.  one 


340         THE  CHURCH  AT  ANTIOCH  IN  SYRIA. 

hundred  and  ten ;  Trajan,  eleven.  4.  Heron :  he  was 
bishop  twenty  years.  To  him  succeeded,  5.  CorneHus, 
who  kept  the  place  thirteen  years,  dying  A.  D.  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-two.  6.  Eros,  twenty>six;  or  as  Eu- 
sebius  says,  twenty-four  years,  7.  Theophilus,  thir- 
teen :  he  w  as  a  man  of  great  parts  and  learning ;  many 
of  his  works  were  extant  in  Eusebius's  time,  and  some 
of  them  are  handed  down  to  us,  8.  Maximinus,  thir- 
teen :  lie  dying,  the  next  that  was  chosen,  was,  9.  Se- 
rapio,  twenty-five:  many  of  his  works  are  mentioned 
by  Eusebius  and  St.  Jerom.  To  him  succeeded,  10. 
Asclepiades:  he  was  a  man  of  great  worth  and  emi- 
nency,  and  invincible  constanc}/  in  the  time  of  perse- 
cution:  he  continued  in  this  see  nine  years.  11.  Phi- 
letus,  eight.  12.  Zebinus,  or  Zebennus:  he  sat  six 
years.  13.,  Babylas,  thirteen:  after  many  conflicts  and 
sufferings  for  the  faith,  he  received  the  crown  of  mar- 
tyrdom under  Decius,  who  demanded  his  chains  to  be 
buried  with  him.  14.  Fabius,  or,  as  the  patriarch  Ni- 
cephorus  calls  him.  Flavins,  possessed  the  chair  nine 
years.  He  was  a  little  inclining  towards  novationism. 
15.  Demetrianus:  he  sat  bishop,  according  to  Nice- 
phorus  four;  Eusebius  says  eight  years.  16.  Paulus 
Samosatenus  sat  in  the  chair  eight  years ;  when,  for  his 
unepiscopai  manners  and  practices,  his  unsound  dog- 
mata and  principles,  and  especially  his  mean  and  un- 
w^orthy  opinions  concerning  our  Saviour,  he  was  con- 
demned and  deposed  by  a  synod  at  Antioch,  whose  syn- 
odical  determination  is  at  large  extant  in  Eusebius's 
history.  17.  Domnus  succeeded  in  the  place  of  the 
deposed.  He  was  son  to  Demetrian,  Paulus's  prede- 
cessor in  that  see;  constituted  and  ordained  to  the  place 
by  the  fathers  of  that  synod,  who  further  give  him  this 
honourable  character,  that  he  was  a  man  endued  with 
all  episcopal  virtues  and  ornaments.  Eusebius  makes 
him  to  have  held  the  see  six,  Nicephorus  but  two  years, 
18.  Timssus:  he  sat  in  the  chair  ten  years.  19.  Cyril- 
lus,  who  presided  over  that  church,  in  the  account  of 
Nicephorus,  fifteen;  according  to  Eusebius  twenty- 
four  vears.     20.  Tvrannus:  he  sat  thirteen  vears.     In 


THE  CHURCH  AT  ROME.  :34l 

his  time  began  the  tenth  persecution  under  Dioclcsian, 
which  raged  with  great  severity  against  the  christians. 
21.  Vitalis,  six.  22.  PauHnus,  or  as  Nicephorus  calls 
him,  Paulus :  who  after  five  years,  was  deposed  and 
driven  out  by  the  Arian  faction,  which  then  prevailed. 
23.  Eustathius,  formerly  bishop  of  Beroea,  was  a  learn- 
ed man,  and  of  great  note  and  eminency  in  the  coun- 
cil of  Nice,  which  was  the  first  general  council  sum- 
moned by  Constantine  the  Great,  after  he  had  restored 
peace  and  prosperity  to  the  church  in  general. 

THE  CHURCH  AT  ROME,  IN  ITALY. 


_  ANY  of  the  fathers  having  with  good  reason, 
equally  attributed  the  foundation  of  this  celebrated 
church  to  Peter  and  Paul,  the  one  as  the  apostle  ot  the 
circumcision  preached  to  the  Jews,  while  the  other, 
probably  as  the  apostle  of  the  uncircumcision  preached 
to  the-Gentiles.  The  following  is  the  order  in  which 
its  bishops  succeeded. 

1.  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  who  both  suftered  martyr- 
dom under  Nero,  the  Roman  emperor.  2.  Linus,  the 
son  of  Herculanus,  a  Tuscan ;  he  is  mentioned  by 
Paul  :  he  sat  between  eleven  and  twelve  years.  3. 
Cleus,  or  Anacletus,or  Anancletus  a  Roman,  the  son 
of  yEmilianus:  he  sat  nine,  though  others  say  but  two 
years.  4.  Clemens,  a  Roman,  born  in  Mount  Ca?lius, 
was  the  son  of  Faustinus,  near  akin,  say  some,  to  the 
emperor :  he  was  condemned  to  dig  in  the  marble 
quarries  near  the  Euxine  sea,  and,  by  the  command  of 
Trajan,  with  an  anchor  about  his  neck,  thrown  into 
the  sea.  He  was  bishop  of  Rome  nine  years  and  four 
months.  5.  Euaristus,  by  birth  a  Greek,  but  his  father 
was  a  jew  of  Bethlehem:  he  is  said  to  have  been 
crowned  with  martyrdom  the  last  year  of  Trajan,  in 
the  ninth  of  his  bishopric,  or  the  thirteenth  according 
to  others.     6,  Alexander,  a  Roman,  though  voung  in 


342  THE  CHURCH  AT  ROME 

years,  was  grave  in  his  manners  and  conversation :  he 
sat  ten  years  and  seven  months,  and  died  a  martyr. 
7.  Xystus,  or  Sixtus,  a  Roman  :  he  w^as  martyred  in 
the  tenth  year  of  his  bishopric,  and  buried  in  the  Vati- 
can at  Rome.  8.  Telesphorus,  a  Greek,  succeeded. 
Justin  the  martyr  flourished  in  his  time.  He  died  a 
martyr,  having  sat  eleven  years  and  three  months  ;  ten 
years  and  eight  months,  according  to  others  ;  he  lies 
buried  near  St.  Peter,  in  the  V^atican.  9.  Hyginus, 
the  son  of  an  Athenian  philosopher,  was  advanced  to 
the  chair  under  Antoninus  Pius:  he  sat  four  years: 
Eusebius  says  eight.  10.  Pius,  an  Italian,  was  born 
at  Aquileia  :  he  died,  having  been  bishop  eleven  years 
and  four  months  ;  according  to  Eusebius,  fifteen  years. 
1 1 .  Anicetus,  born  in  Syria  :  he  is  said,  after  nine,  or, 
according  to  others,  elev^en  years,  to  have  suffered 
martyrdom,  and  was  buried  in  the  Via  Appia,  in  the 
cemetry  of  Callistus.  In  his  time  Polycarp  came  to 
Rome.  12.  Sotar,  or,  as  Nicephorus  calls  him,  Sote- 
richus,  was  a  Campanian,  the  son  of  Concordius. 
There  was  an  intercourse  of  letters  between  him  and 
Dionysius  bishop  of  Corinth.  He  died  after  he  had  sat 
nine,  or,  as  Eusebius  reckons,  seven  years.  13.  Eleu- 
therius,  born  at  Nicopolis  in  Greece.  To  him  Lucius 
king  of  Britain,  sent  a  letter  and  an  embassy.  He  sat 
fifteen  years,  died  A.  D.  one  hundred  and  eighty-six, 
and  lies  buried  in  the  Vatican  at  Rome.  14.  Victor, 
an  African,  the  son  of  Felix,  was  a  man  of  a  furious 
and  intemperate  spirit.  He  was  bishop  ten  years. 
15.  Zephyrinus,  a  Roman,  succeeded,  and  possessed 
the  chair  eight,  or,  as  others  say,  eighteen  years  ;  twen- 
ty, says  Onuphrius  :  he  was  a  pious  and  learned  man, 
but  a  little  warped  towards  the  errors  of  Montanus. 
1(S.  Callistus,  or  Calixtus,  the  son  of  Domitius,  a  Ro- 
man ;  a  prudent  and  a  modest  man  :  he  suffered  much 
in  the  persecution  under  Alexander  Severus,  under 
whom  he  became  a  martyr,  being  thrown  into  a  well 
by  the  procurement  of  Ulpian  the  great  lawyer,  but  a 
severe  enemy  to  Christians.  He  sat  six  years,  or,  as 
others  maintain,  five  and  one  month  j  and  though  he 


THE  CHURCH  AT  ROME.  343 

made  a  ccmetry,  or  burial  place,  called  after  his  own 
name,  yet  was  be  buried  in  that  of  Calepodius,  in  the 
Appian  Way.  17.  Urbanus,  the  son  of  Pontianus,  a 
Koman  ;  after  four,  or  as  some,  six  years,  he  suflFered 
martyrdom  for  the  faith  ;  Eusebius  has  five,  St.  Jerom, 
in  his  translation,  nine.  He  was  buried  in  Pra^tcx- 
tatus*s  cemetry,  in  the  Appian  Way.  18.  Pontjanus, 
the  son  of  Calphurnius,  a  Roman  :  for  his  boldly  re- 
proving the  Roman  idolatry,  he  was  banished  into 
the  island  of  Sardinia,  where  he  died  ;  he  was  bishop 
about  three  or  four,  or,  as  Eusebius  says,  five  years. 
19.  Anteros,  a  Greek,  the  son  of  Romulus  :  he  died, 
according  to  some,  when  he  had  kept  his  place  only 
one  month,  (though  others,  without  reason,  make  him 
to  have  lived  in  it  many  years)  and  was  buried  in  the 
cemetry  of  Callistus.  20.  Fabianus,  a  Roman,  he  was 
unexpectedly  chosen  bishop,  while,  several  others 
being  in  competition,  a  pigeon  suddenly  descended, 
and  sat  upon  his  head,  the  great  emblem  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  He  died  a  martyr,  after  fourteen  years ;  and 
was  buried  in  the  same  place  with  his  predecessor. 
21.  Cornelius,  a  Roman,  who  opposed  and  condemned 
Novocation  :  frequent  letters  passed  between  him  and 
Cyprian.  After  somewhat  more  than  two  years,  he 
was  first  cruelly  whipped,  then  beheaded,  and  after- 
wards buried  in  a  vault  within  the  grange  of  Lucina, 
near  the  Appian  Way.  22.  Lucius,  a  Roman,  sat 
two,  or  as  others  say,  three  years  :  he  suffered  martyr- 
dom by  the  command  of  Valerian,  and  was  buried  in 
Callistus's  cemetery.  23.  Stephanus,  a  Roman,  the 
son  of  Julius  :  great  contests  were  between  him  and 
Cyprian,  about  re-baptizing  those  who  had  been  bap- 
tized by  heretics.  He  was  beheaded  after  he  had  sat 
about  two  or  three  years,  though  others  say  seven,  and 
was  buried  by  his  predecessor.  24.  Xvstus,  a  Greek, 
formerly  a  philosopher  of  Athens.  Atter  one,  or,  as 
others  compute,  two  years  and  ten  months,  he  suffer- 
ed martyrdom  :  Eusebius  reckons  it  eight  years.  25. 
Dionysius,  of  a  monk  made  bisliop  :  in  the  judgment 
of  Dionysius,  bishop  of  Alexandria,  was  a  truly  learn- 
ed and  admirable  person.   The  time  of  his  presidency 


344  THE  CHURCH  AT  ROME. 

is  uncertainly  assigned,  six,  nine,  ten,  eleven  :  Euse- 
bius  extends  it  to  twelve  years.  26.  Felix,  a  Roman  ; 
in  his  time  arose  the  Manichaean  heresy.  He  suffer- 
ed about  the  fourth  or  fifth  year  of  his  episcopacy, 
and  lies  buried  in  the  Aurelian  Way,  in  a  cemetery  of 
his  own,  two  miles  from  Rome.  27.  Eutychianus,  a 
Tuscan,  a  man  exceedingly  careful  of  the  burial  of 
martyrs ;  after  one  year's  space,  was  himself  crowned 
with  martyrdom  :  Eusebius  allows  him  but  eight 
months  :  Onuphrius  eight  years  and  six  months.  28. 
Caius,  or  as  Eusebius  calls  him,  Gaianus  a  Dalmatian, 
kinsman  to  the  emperor  Dioclesian,  and  in  the  per- 
secution under  him,  became  a  martyr.  He  sat  eleven 
years  ;  some  say  longer  :  Eusebius  fifteen  years.  He 
w^as  beheaded,  and   buried  in  Callistus's  cemeterv. 

29.  Marceilinus,  a  Roman  :  through  fear  of  torment 
he  sacrificed  to  the  gods ;  but  recovering  himself 
died  a  martyr,  after  he  had  sat  eight  or  nine  years. 
He  was  beheaded  and  buried  in  the  cemeterv  of 
Priscilla,  in  the  Salarian  Way.     To  him  succeeded, 

30.  Marcellus,  a  Roman  :  he  was  condemned  by  Max- 
entius  the  tyrant,  to  keep  beasts  in  a  stable,  which  he 
performed,  yet  without  omitting  his  prayers  and  exer- 
cises of  devotion.  He  died  after  five  years  and  six 
months,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla. 

31.  Eusebius,  a  Greek,  was  the  son  of  a  physician: 
he  suffered  much  under  the  tyranny  of  Maxentius. 
He  sat  six  years,  say  some,  though  Eusebius  allows 
him  but  seven  months  :  Onuphrius  one  year  and  seven 
months.  He  was  buried  in  the  Appian  Way,  near 
Callistus's  cemeterv.  32.  Miltiades,  an  African  :  he 
might  probably  be  a  confessor  under  Maxentius,  but 
could  not  be  a  martyr  under  Maximinus,  as  some  re- 
port him.  He  sat  three  or  four,  though  others  assign 
liini  but  two  years ;  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery 
of  Callistus.  33.  Silvester,  a  Roman  ;  he  was  elected 
unto  the  place,  A.  D.. three  hundred  and  fourteen, 
fetched  from  the  mountain  Soract,  whither  he  had  fled 
for  fear  of  persecution.  He  was  highly  in  favour  with 
Constantine  the  Great.  He  sat  twenty-three, Nicepho- 
rus  says  twenty-eight  years. 


THE  CHURCH  AT  JERUSALEM,  IN  JUDEA. 

JLT  may  with  some  degree  of  truth  be  affirmed,  that 
the  church  of  Jerusalem  was  founded  by  our  Lord 
himself,  as  it  was  for  some  time  cultivated  and  im- 
proved by  the  ministry  of  the  whole  college  of  apos- 
tles. The  bishops  of  it  succeeded  in  the  following 
order : 

1.  St.  James  the  Less,  the  brother  of  our  Lord,  by 
him,  say  some,  immediately  constituted  bishop;  but 
as  others,  more  probably  alledge,  by  the  apostles :  he 
was  thrown  off  the  temple,  and  his  brains  beat  out 
with  a  fuller's  club.  2.  Simeon,  the  son  of  Clcopas, 
brother  of  Joseph,  our  I^ord's  reputed  father  ;  he  sat 
in  this  chair  twenty-three  years,  and  suffered  martyr- 
dom in  the  reign  of  Trajan,  in  the  one  hundred  and 
twentieth  year  of  his  age.  3  Justus  succeeded  in  his 
room,  and  sat  six  years.  4.  Zecheus,  or,  as  Nicepho- 
rus  the  patriarch  calls  him,  Zacharias,  four.  5.  To- 
bias: to  him,  after  four  years  succeeded.  G,  Benja- 
min, who  sat  two  years.  7  John,  who  continued  the 
same  space.  8.  Matthias,  or  Matthajus,  two  years. 
9.  Philipus,  one  year:  next  came.  10.  Senaca,  who 
sat  fourycars.  1 1.  Justus,  four.  12.  Levi  or  Lebes, 
two.  1  3.  Ephrem,or,  Ephres,  or  as  Epiphanius  styles 
him,  Vaphres,  two.  14.  Joseph,  two.  15.  Judas, 
two.  We  may  observe,  that  most  of  these  bishops 
governed  the  church  but  a  short  time,  following  one 
another  with  a  very  quick  succession  :  which,  doubt- 
less, was  in  a  great  measure  owing  to  the  turbulent 
and  unquiet  humour  of  the  Jewish  nation,  frequently 
rebelling  against  the  Roman  powers,  whereby  they 
provoked  them  to  fall  heavy  upon  them,  and  cut  o{l 
all  that  came  in  their  wav,  makin^i  no  distinction  be- 
tween  Jews  and  Christians ;  as  indeed  they  were  all 
Jews,  though  differing  in  the  rites  of  their  religion  : 
for  hitherto  the  bishops  of  Jerusalem  had  successively 

VOL.  ii,  jc  X 


246  THE  CHURCH  AT  JERUSALEM. 

been  of  the  circumcision,  the  church  there  having  been 
entirely  made  up  of  Jewish  converts  :  but  Jerusalem 
beinor  now  utterly  laid  waste,  and  the  Jews  dispersed 
into  all  other  countries,  the  Gentiles  were  admitted 
not  only  into  the  bodv  of  that  church,  but  even  into 
the  episcopal  chair.  They  are  ranged  in  the  following 
order:  16.  Marcus,  who  sat  eight  years.  17.  Cassi- 
anus,  eight.  18.  Publius,  five.  19.  Maximus,  four. 
20.  Julanus,  two.  21.  Caianus,  three.  22.  Julianus, 
four.  23.  Elius,  two.  We  do  not  find  this  bishop 
mentioned  by  Eusebius ;  but  he  is  recorded  by  Nice- 
phorus  of  Constantinople.  24.  Capito,  four.  25.  Max- 
imus,  four.  26.  Antonius,  five.  27.  Valens,  three. 
28.  Dulichianus,  tw^o.  £9.  Narcissus,  four.  He  was 
a  man  of  eminent  piety,  famous  for  the  great  miracles 
which  he  wrought ;  but  not  being  able  to  bear  the  as-^ 
persions  which  some  unjustly  cast  upon  him  (though 
God  finally  and  miraculously  vindicated  his  innocency) 
he  left  his  church,  and  retired  into  desarts  and  solitary 
places.  In  his  absence  was  chosen,  30.  Dius,  who 
sat  eight  years  after  him.  31.  Germanio,  four.  32, 
Gordius,  five.  In  his  time  Narcissus  as  one  from  the 
dead,  returned  from  his  place  of  retirement,  and  was 
importuned  by  the  people  again  to  take  the  govern- 
ment of  the  church  upon  him  ;  being  highly  reve^-enc- 
ed  by  them,  both  for  his  strict  and  philosophical  course 
ot  life,  and  the  signal  vengeance  which  God  took  of 
his  accusers:  and  in  this  second  administration  he 
continued  ten  years,  suffering  martyrdom  when  he 
was  near  an  hundred  and  twenty  years  old.  To  re- 
lieve the  infirmities  of  his  great  age,  they  took  in  to  be 
his  colleague,  33.  Alexander,  formerly  bishop  of  Cap- 
padocia :  he  was  an  eminent  confessor,  and  after 
having  sat  fifteen  years,  died  in  prison,  under  the  De- 
cian  persecution.  34.  Mazabanes,  nine  years.  35. 
Hymen22us,  twenty-three,  36.  Zabdas,  ten.  37.  Her- 
mon,  nine.  He  was,  as  Eusebius  tells  us,  the  last 
bishop  of  this  see,  before  that  fatal  persecution  that 
raged  even  in  his  time.  38.  Marcarius,  ordained 
A.  D.  three  hundred  and  fifteen  :  he  was  present  m 


THE  CHURCH  AT  CONSTANTINOPLE.         547 

the  great  Nicene  council.  He  sat,  says  Nicephorus 
of  Constantinople,  twenty-years:  but  St.  Jerom  al- 
lows him  to  have  continued  a  muph  longer  time  in  the 
government  of  the  church. 


THE  CHURCH  AT  CONSTANTINOPLE, 

Ancieiitlii  called  Byzantium, 

At  cannot  be  doubted  that  this  church  was  first  found- 
ed by  St.  Andrew.  The  succession  of  it's  bishops  was 
as  follows  : 

1.  St.  Andrew  the  apostle.  He  was  crucified  afc 
Patrse  in  Achaia.  2.  Stachys,  whom  St.  Paul  calls  his 
beloved  Stachys,  ordained  bishop  by  St.  Andrew  :  he 
sat  sixteen  years.  4.  Onesimus,  fourteen.  4.  Poly- 
carpus,  seventeen.  5.  Plutarchus,  sixteen.  6.  Scde- 
cio,  nine.  7.  Diogenes,  fifteen.  Of  the  last  three  no 
mention  is  made  in  Nicephorus  of  Constantinople,  but 
they  are  delivered  by  Nicephorus  Callistus,  lib.  viii.c. 
6.  p.  540.  8.  Eleutheris,  seven.  9.  Felix,  five.  10. 
Polycarpus,  seventeen.  11.  Athenodorus,  four.  He 
erected  a  church  called  Elea,  afterwards  much  beau- 
tified and  enlarged  by  Constantine  the  Great.  12, 
Euzoius,  sixteen  ;  though  Nicephorus  Callistus  allows 
but  six.  13.  Laurentius,  eleven  years  and  six  months. 
14.  Alypius,  thirteen.  15.  Pertinax,  a  man  of  con- 
sular dignity :  he  built  another  church  near  the  sea 
side,  which  he  called  Peace.  He  sat  nineteen  years, 
which  Nicephorus  Callistus  reduces  to  nine.  US.  Olim- 
pianus,  eleven.  17.  Marcus,  thirteen.  18.  Cyriacus, 
or  Cyriliianus,  sixteen.  19.  Constantinus,  seven.  In 
the  first  year  of  his  bishopric,  he  built  a  church  in  the 
north  part  of  the  city,  which  he  dedicated  to  the  ho- 
nour of  Euphemia,  the  martyr,  who  had  suffered  in 
that  place.  In  this  oratory  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
jhi^life,  quitting  his  episcopal  chair  to  20.  Titus,  who 


348  THE  CHURCH  AT  ALEXANDRIA, 

sat  thirty-five  years  and  six  months  ;  though  Nicepho- 
rus  Callistus  makes  it  thirty-seven  years.  After  him 
came  21.  Dometius,  brother  (as  they  tell  us)  to  the 
emperor  Probus.  He  was  bishop  twenty-one  years 
and  six  months.  22.  Probus  succeeded  his  father  Do- 
metius,  and  sat  tv^elve  years  after  him.  23.  Metro- 
phanus  his  brother,  who  governed  that  church  ten 
years.  And  in  his  time  it  was  that  Constantine  trans- 
lated the  imperial  court  hither,  enlarged  and  adorned 
it,  called  it  after  his  own  name,  and  made  it  the  seat 
of  the  empire.  24.  Alexander  succeeded  j  he  was  a 
man  of  great  piety  and  integrity,  zealous  and  constant 
in  maintaining  the  truth  against  the  blasphemies  of 
Arius.     He  sat  twenty-three  years. 


THE  CHURCH  AT  ALEXANDRIA, 

In  Egypt, 

Ecclesiastical  writers  afRrm,  that  the  foun- 
dations of  this  church  were  laid,  and  a  great  part  of 
its  superstructure  raised  by  St.  Mark  ;  who  though  not 
strictly  and  properly  an  apostle,  yet  being  an  apostle 
at  large,  and  immediately  commissioned  by  St.  JPeter, 
it  justly  obtained  the  honour  of  an  apostolical  church. 
Its  bishops  and  governors  are  thus  set  down. 

1.  St.  Mark  the  evangelist,  of  whose  travels  and 
martyrdom  we  have  spoken  in  his  life.  He  sat  two 
years.  2.  Aninanus,  characterized  by  Eusebius  *'  A 
man  beloved  of  God,  and  admirable  in  all  things." 
He  sat  twenty-two  years.  3.  Avilius,  twelve  ;  or,  as 
Eusebius  says,  thirteen  years.  4.  Cerdo,  who  succeed- 
ed about  the  first  year  of  Trajan.  He  sat  ten  years  ; 
according  to  Eusebius,  eleven.  5.  Primus,  twelve, 
6.  Justus,  or  Justinus,  ten.  7.  Eumenes,  ten,  or  as 
Eusebius  affirms,  thirteen  :  St.  Jerom,  in  his  transla- 
tion,, calls  him  Hymen'cgus,    3.  Marcus,  or  Marcianus, 


THE  CHURCH  AT  ALEXANDRIA.  545 

thirteen;  or,  as  Eusebius  states,  ten.  9.  Ccladlon, 
ten  ;  but  in  Eusebius's  computation,  fourteen.  10. 
Agrippinus,  fourteen  :  according  to  Eusebius,  twelve. 

11.  J ulianus,  fifteen  ;  though  Eusebius  allows  but  ten. 

12.  Demetrius,  twenty-one;  according  to  Eusebius, 
forty-three.  13.  Heraclas,  a  man  of  philosophical  ge- 
nius and  way  of  life.  He  sat  sixteen  years;  though 
Nicephorus  of  Constantinople,  by  a  mistake,  we  sup- 
pose, for  his  predecessor,  makes  it  forty-three.  14  Di- 
onysius,  seventeen.  He  was  one  of  the  most  eminent 
bishops  of  his  time.  He  died  iri  the  twelfth  year  of 
the  emperor  (lallineus.  15.  Maximus.  Of  a  presby- 
ter he  was  made  bishop  of  Alexandria.  He  sat  in  that 
chair  eighteen  years,  according  to  Eusebius's  compu- 
tation; though  Nicephorus  of  Constantinople  assigns 
him  but  eight.  i6.  Theonas,  seventeen;  or  accord- 
ing to  St.  Jeromes  version  of  Eusebius,  nineteen.  To 
him  succeeded  17.  Petrus,  twelve.  He  began  his  of- 
fice three  years  before  the  last  persecution.  A  man  of 
infinite  strictness  and  accuracy,  and  of  indefatigable 
industry  for  the  good  of  the  church.  He  suffered  in 
the  ninth  year  of  the  persecution,  gaining  the  crown 
of  martyrdom  with  the  loss  of  his  head.  18.  Achillas 
nine ;  though  Nicephorus  of  Constantinople  allows 
him  but  one  year.  By  him  Arius,  upon  his  submission 
was  ordained  presbyter.  19.  Alexander,  twenty-three. 
Under  him  Arius  who  was  at  Alexandria,  began  more 
openly  to  broach  his  heresy.  He  was  justly  excom- 
municated and  thrust  out  of  the  Church  by  Alexan- 
der ;  and  shortly  after  condemned  by  the  fathers  at  the 
council  of  Nice.  Nevertheless, his  abominable  tenets 
have  infected  the  church,  more  or  less,  to  the  present 
day,  and  are  openly  avowed  by  the  enemies  of  the  gos- 
pel of  Jesus,  who  is  God  over  all,  blessed  ior  ever. 
Amen. 


The  EVIDENCES  upon  which  CHRISTIANITY  is 

founded;  i?icludi?ig  a  Complete  Defonce  of  Christi- 
anity, together  with  plain  and  satisfoctory  Answers 
to  all  Objections  made  against  our  Holy  Religion  by 
Jews,  Atheists,  Deists,  Infidels,  Free- Thinkers,  l^e. 

x\-MONGST  other  undoubted  authorities  concern- 
ing our  Saviour  and  his  miracles,  extant  amongst  Pa- 
gan writers,  the  particulars  which  follow,  are  all  at- 
tested by  some  one  or  other  of  those  Heathen  authors, 
who  lived  in  or  near  the  age  of  our  Saviour  and  his 
disciples. 

"  That  Augustus  Csesar  had  ordered  the  whole  em- 
pire to  be  censed  or  taxed,"  which  brought  our  Sa- 
viour's reputed  parents  to  Bethlehem:  this  is  mention- 
ed by  several  Roman  historians,  as  Tacitus,  Suetonius, 
and  Dion.  "  That  a  great  light,  or  a  new  star  appear- 
ed in  the  east,  which  directed  the  wise  men  to  our  Sa- 
viour:" this  is  recorded  by  Chalcidius.  '*  That  Herod, 
the  king  of  Palestine,  so  often  mentioned  in  the  Ro- 
man history,  made  a  great  slaughter  of  innocent  chil- 
dren," being  so  jealous  of  his  successor,  that  he  put  to 
death  his  own  sons  on  that  account;  this  character  of 
him  is  given  by  several  historians,  and  this  cruel  fact 
mentioned  by  Macrobius,  a  Heathen  author,  who  tells 
it  is  a  known  thing,  without  any  mark  or  doubt  upon 
it.  '*That  our  Saviour  had  been  in  Egypt :"  this,  Cel- 
sus,  though  he  raises  a  monstrous  story  upon  it,  is  so 
far  from  denying,  that  he  tells  us  our  Saviour  learned 
the  arts  of  magic  in  that  country.  '*  That  Pontius  Pi- 
late was  governor  of  Judea;  that  our  Saviour  was 
brought  in  judgment  before  him,  and  by  him  con- 
demned and  crucified  :"  this  is  recorded  by  Tacitus. 
■  *  That  many  miraculous  cures  and  works,  out  of  the 
ordinary  course  of  nature,  were  wrought  by  him:^'  this 
is  confessed  by  Julian  the  apostate,  Porphyry,  and  Hi- 
erocles,  all  of  them  not  only  Pagans,  but  professed 


THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY  351 

enernies  and  persecutors  of  Christianity.  ''  That  our 
Saviour  foretold  several  things  which  came  to  pass  ac- 
cording to  his  predictions:"  this  was  attested  by  Phe- 
legon,  in  his  annals,  as  we  are  assured  by  the  learned 
Origen  against  Celsus.  *'  That  at  the  time  when  our 
Saviour  died,  there  was  a  miraculous  darkness,  and  a 
great  earthquake:"  this  is  reckoned  by  the  same  Phe- 
legon  the  Trallian,  who  was  likewise  a  Pagan,  and 
freeman  to  j^drian  the  emperor.  We  may  here  ob- 
serve, that  a  native  of  Trallian,  which  was  not  situat- 
ed at  so  great  a  distance  from  Palestine,  might  very 
probably  be  informed  of  such  remarkable  events  as 
had  passed  amongst  the  Jews  in  the  age  immediately 
preceding  his  own  times,  since  several  of  his  country- 
men with  whom  he  had  conversed,  might  have  receiv- 
ed a  confused  report  of  our  Saviour  before  his  cruci- 
fixion, and  probably  lived  within  the  shake  of  the 
earthquake,  and  the  shadow  of  the  eclipse,  which  are 
recorded  by  this  author.  '*  That  Christ  was  worship- 
ped as  a  God  amongst  the  Christians;  that  they  would 
rather  suffer  death  than  blaspheme  him;  that  they  re- 
ceived a  sacrament,  and  by  it  entered  into  a  vow  of 
abstaining  from  sin  and  wickedness,"  conformable  to 
the  advice  given  by  St.  Paul;  *' that  they  had  private 
assemblies  of  worship,  and  used  to  join  together  in 
hymns:"  this  is  the  account  which  Pliny  the  younger 
gives  of  Christianity  in  his  days,  about  seventy  years 
after  the  death  of  Christ  and  which  agrees  in  all  its 
circumstances  with  the  account  we  have  in  holy  writ, 
of  the  first  state  of  Christianity  after  the  crucifixion  of 
our  blessed  Saviour.  "  That  St.  Peter,  whose  miracles 
are  many  of  them  recorded  in  holy  writ,  did  many 
wonderful  works,"  is  owned  by  Julian,  the  apostate, 
who  therefore  represents  him  as  a  great  magician,  and 
one  who  had  in  his  possession  a  book  of  ma^^ical  se- 
crets left  him  by  our  Saviour.  *' That  the  devils  or 
evil  spirits  were  subject  to  them,"  we  may  learn  from 
Porphyry,  who  objects  to  Christianity,  that  since  Je- 
sus had  began  to  be  worshipped,  /Esculapius  and  the 
rest  of  the  gods  did  no  more  converse  with  men  :  nay. 


152  THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

Celsus  himself  affirms  the  same  thing  in  effect,  when 
he  says,  that  the  power  which  seemed  to  reside  in  Chris- 
tians proceeded  from  the  use  of  certain  names,  and 
the  invocation  of  certain  daemon's;  Origen  remarks 
on  this  passage,  that  the  author  doubtless  hints  at  those 
Christians  who  ppt  to  flight  evil  spirits  and  healed 
those  who  were  possessed  w^ith  them;  a  fact  which 
had  been  often  seen^  and  which  he  himself  had  seen, 
as  he  declares  in  another  part  of  his  discourse  against 
Celsus.  But  at  the  same  time,  he  assures  us  bv  the 
use  of  no  other  name  but  that  of  Jesus,  to  which  were 
added  several  passages  in  his  history,  but  nothing  like 
anv  invocation  to  daemons. 

Celsus  was  so  hard  set  with  the  report  of  our  Sa-^ 
viour's  miracles,  and  the  confident  attestations  con- 
cerning him,  that  though  he  often  intimates  he  did  not 
believe  them  to  be  true,  yet  knowing  he  might  be  si- 
lenced in  such  an  answer,  provides  himself  with  ano- 
ther retreat,  when  beaten  out  of  this,  namely,  that  our 
Saviour  was  a  magician.  Thus  he  compares  the  (ecd-  * 
ing  of  so  many  thousands,  at  two  different  times,  with 
a  few  loaves  and  fishes,  to  the  magical  feasts  of  those 
Egyptian  impostors,  w4io  would  present  their  specta- 
tors  with  visionary  entertainments,  that  had  in  them 
neither  substance  nor  reality:  which,  by  the  way,  is  to 
suppose  that  an  hungry  and  fainting  multitude  were 
filled  by  an  apparition,  or  strengthened  and  refreshed 
with  shadows. 

The  unconverted  Heathens,  who  were  pressed  by 
the  many  authorities  that  confirmed  our  Saviour's  mir- 
acles, as  well  as  the  unbelieving  Jews,  who  had  ac- 
tually seen  them,  Vv^ere  driven  to  account  for  them  after 
the  same  manner;  for,  to  work  by  magic,  in  the  Hea- 
then way  of  S])eaking,  Vv^as  in  the  language  of  the 
Jews,  to  cast  out  devils  by  Beelzebub  the  prince  of 
the  devils.  Our  Saviour,  who  knew  that  unbelievers, 
in  all  ages  would  put  this  perverse  interpretation  on  his 
miracles,  lias  branded  the  malignity  of  those  men,  who.. 


THE  EVIDElSrCKS  OP  CHRISTIANITY  3^3 

Cbntrary  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  hearts  started  such 
an  unreasonable  objection,  as  a  blasphemy  ai^ainst  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  declared  not  only  the  guilt,  but  the 
punishment  of  so  black  a  crime.     At  the  same  time, 
he  condescended  to  shew  the  vanit}-  and  emptiness  of 
this  objection  against  his  miracles,  by  representing,  that 
they  evidently  tended  to  the  destruction  of  those  pow- 
ers, to  whose  assistance  the  enemies  of  his  doctrine  then 
ascribed  them.     An  argument  which,  if  duly  weighed, 
renders  the  objection  so  very  frivilous  and  groundless 
that  we  may  venture  to  call  it  even  blasphemy  against 
common  sense.     It  would  be  absurd  to  imagine,  that 
evil  spirits  would  enter  into  a  combination  with  our  Sa-  - 
viour  to  cut  off  all  their  correspondence  and  intercourse 
with  mankind,  and  to  prevent  any  for  the  future  from 
addicting  themselves  to  those  rites  and  ceremonies, 
which  had  done  them  so  much  honour.     We  sec  the 
early  effect  which  Christianity  had  on  the  minds  of  men 
in  this  particular,  by  that  number  of  books  which  were 
filled  with  the  secrets  of  magie,  and  made  a  sacrifice  to 
Christianity  by  the  converts  mentioned  in  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles.  We  have^likewise  an  eminent  inst:jnceof 
the  inconsistency  of  our  religion  with  magic,  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  famous  Aquila.     This  person,  who  was  a 
kinsman  of  the  emperor  Trajan,  and  likewise  a  man  of 
great  learning,  notwithstanding  he  had  embraced  Chris- 
tianity,  could  not  be  brought  off  from  the  studies  of 
magic,  by  the  repeated  admonitions  of  his  fellow  Chris- 
tians;  so  that  at  lengtli  they  expelled  him  their  societ}', 
as  rather  choosing  to  lose  the  reputation  of  so  conside- 
rable a  proselyte,  than  communicate  with  one  who  deali 
in  such  dark  and  infernal  practices.     Besides,  we  may 
observe,  that  all  the  favourers  of  magic  were  the  most 
professed  and  bitter  enemies  to  the  Christian  religion ; 
not  to  mention  Simon  Magus  and  many  others,  we  shall 
only  take  notice  of  those  two  great  persecutors  o(  Chris- 
tianity, the  emperors  Adrian  and  Julian  the  apostxite, 
both  of  them  initiated  in  the  mysteries  of  di\  ination, 
and  skilled  in  all  the  depths  of  magic. — We  shall  only 
add,  that  evil  spirits  cannot  be  supposed  to  ]l:\^  e  ron. 
voL#  ih  V  y 


3^4  THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

Gurred  in  the  establishment  of  a  religion,  which  tri- 
timphed  over  them,  drove  them  out  of  the  places  they 
j>ossessed,  and  divested  them  of  their  influence  on  man- 
kind; nor  would  we  mention  this  particular,  though  it 
be  stated  by  Christian  authors,  did  it  not  appear  from 
the  authorities  above  cited,  that  this  was  a  fact  confessed 
bv  Heathens  themselves. 

When  a  man  is  born  under  Christian  parents,  and 
trained  up  in  the  profession  of  that  religion  from  a  child, 
he  generally  guides  himself  by  the  rules  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  in  believing  what  is  delivered  by  the  evange- 
lists; the  learned  Pagans  of  antiquity,  before  they  be- 
came Christians,  were  only  guided  by  the  common  rule^ 
of  historical  faith ;  that  is,  they  examined  the  nature  of 
the  evidence  which  was  to  be  met  with  in  common  fame, 
tradition,  and  the  writings  of  those  persons  who  related 
them,  together  with  the  number,  concurrence,  veracity, 
and  private  characters  of  those  persons ;  and  being  con- 
vinced upon  all  accounts,  that  they  had  the  same  reason 
to  believe  the  history  of  our  Saviour,   as  that  of  any 
other  person  to  which  they  themselves  were  not  actu- 
ally eye-witnesses,  they  were  bound  by  all  the  rules  of 
historical  faith,  and  of  right  reason,  to  give  credit  to  this 
history.    This  they  did  accordingly,  and  in  consequence 
of  it,  published  the  same  truths  themselves,   suffered 
many  afftictions,  and  very  often  death  itself,  in  the  as- 
sertion of  them.    But  while  we  affirm,  an  historical  be- 
lief of  the  acts  of  our  Saviour  might  induce  these  learn- 
ed Pagans  to  embrace  his  doctrine,  we  do  not  deny  that 
there  were  many  other  motives,  which  conduced  to  it, 
as  the  excellency  of  his  precepts,  the  fulfilling  of  pro- 
phecies, the  miracles  of  his  disciples,  the  irreproacha- 
ble lives  and  magnanimous  sufferings  of  their  follow- 
ers, with  other  considerations  of  the  same  nature:  but 
whatever  other  collateral  arguments  wrought  more  or 
less  with  philosophers  of  that  age,  it  is  certain  that  a  be- 
lief in  the  history  of  our  Saviour  was  one  motive  with 
every  new  convert,  and  that  upon  which  all  others  turn- 
ed, as  being  the  very  basis  and  foundation  of  Christi- 
anity. 


THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY.  .-sss 

A  learned  man  of  our  nation^  who  examined  tlie  wri- 
tings of  our  most  ancient  fathers,  refers  to  several  j^as- 
sages  in  Irenaeus,  Tertullian,  Clemens  of  Alexandria, 
Origen,  and  Cyprian,  by  which  he  plainly  shews,  that 
each  of  these  early  writers,  ascribed  to  the  four  evan- 
gelists by  name,  their  respective  histories;  so  that  there 
is  not  the  least  room  for  doubting  of  their  belief  in  the 
history  of  our  Saviour,  as  recorded  in  the  gospels.  Wc 
shall  only  add  that  three  of  the  live  fathers  here  men- 
tioned, and  probably  four,  were  Pagans  converted  to 
Christianity,  as  they  were  all  of  them  very  inquisitive 
and  deep  in  the  knowledge  of  Heathen  learning  and 
philosophy. 

Several  of  these  therefore,  when  they  had  informed 
themselves  of  our  Saviour's  history,  and  examined  with 
unprejudiced  minds  the  doctrines  and  manners  of  his 
disciples  and  followers,  were  so  struck  and  convinced, 
that  they  professed  themselves  the  faith ;  notwithstand- 
ing, by  this  profession  at  that  juncture  of  time,  they 
bid  farewell  to  all  the  pleasures  of  this  life,  renounced 
all  the  views  of  ambition,  engaged  in  an  uninterrupted 
course  of  severities,  and  exposed  themselves  to  the 
public  hatred  and  contempt,  to  sufterings  of  all  kinds, 
and  to  death  itself.  Of  this  sort  we  may  reckon  those 
three  early  converts  to  Christianit} %  who  each  of  them 
was  a  member  of  a  senate  famous  for  its  wisdom  and 
learning.  Joseph  the  Arimathean,  was  of  the  Jewish 
Sanhedrim:  Dionysius,  of  the  Athenian  Areopagus; 
and  Flavins  Clemens,  of  the  Roman  senate ;  nay  at  the 
time  gf  his  death,  consul  of  Rome. 

Tertullian  tells  the  Roman  governors,  that  their  cor- 
porations, councils,  armies,  tribes,  companies,  the  pa- 
lace, senate,  and  courts  of  judicature  were  filled  will* 
Christians;  as  Arnobius  asserts,  that  men  of  the  fniest 
parts  and  learning,  oratory,  grammarians,  rhetoricians, 
lawyers,  physicians,  philosophers,  despising  the  senti- 
inents  they  had  been  once  fond  of,  took  up  their  rest  in 
jltie  Christian  religion;  and  who  can  imagine,  that  men 


2j6  the  KVlDENGhS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

of  this  character  did  not  dioroiighly  inform  themselvej> 
of  the  history  of  that  person  whose  doctrines  they  em- 
braced? 

Besides  innumerable  authors  that  are  lost,  we  have 
the  undoubted  names,  works,  or  fragments  of  several 
Pagan  philosophers,  which  shew  them  to  have  been  as 
learned  as  any  unconverted  Heathen  authors  of  the  age 
in  which  they  lived.  If  we  look  into  the  greatest  nur- 
series of  learning  in  those  ages  of  the  world,  we  find 
in  Athens,  Dionysius,  Quadratus,  Aristides,  and  Atheur 
agoras ;  and  in  Alexandria,  Dionysius,  Clemens,  Am* 
monius,and  to  whom  we  may  add  Origen ;  for  though  his 
father  was  a  Christian  martyr,  he  became  without  all 
controversy,  the  most  learned  and  able  philosopher  of 
his  age,  by  his  education  at  Alexandria,  in  that  famous 
seminary  of  arts  and  sciences. 

Heathens  of  every  age,  sex,  and  quality,  born  in  the 
most  different  climates,  and  bred  up  under  the  most 
different  institutions,  v/hen  they  saw  men  of  plain  sense 
without  the  help  of  learning,  armed  with  patience  and 
courage,  instead  of  wealth,  pomp,  or  power,  express- 
ing ill  their  lives  those  excellent  doctrines  of  morality^ 
which  they  taught,  as  delivered  to  them  from  our  Sa- 
viour, averring  that  they  had  seen  his  miracles  during 
his  life,  and  conversed  v\'ith  him  after  his  death ;  when 
they  saw  no  suspicion  of  falsehood,  treachery,  or  world- 
ly interest,  in  their  behaviour  and  conversation,  and 
that  they  submitted  to  the  most  ignominious  and  cruel 
deaths,  rather  than  retract  their  testimony,  or  even  be 
silent  in  matters  w^hich  they  w^ere  to  publish  by  their 
Saviour's  especial  command,  there  was  no  reason  to 
doubt  the  veracity  of  those  facts  which  they  related,  or 
^he  divine  mission  in  Vvhich  they  were  employed. 

A  few  persons  of  an  odious  and  despised  countrj  . 
could  not  have  filled  the  world  with  believers,  had  they 
not  shewn  undoubted  credentials  from  the  divine  Per 
son  v;ho  sent  them  on  such  a  message.     Accordingly, 


THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY.  Sn7 

we  are  assured,  that  they  were  invested  with  the  power 
of  working  miracles,  which  was  the  most  short  and  the 
most  convincing  argument  that  could  be  produced, 
and  the  only  one  that  was  adapted  to  the  reason  of  all 
mankind,  to  the  capacities  of  the  wise  and  ignorant, 
and  could  overcome  every  caS'il  and  every  prejudice. 
Who  would  not  believe  that  our  Saviour  healed  the 
sick,  and  raised  the  dead,  when  it  was  published  by 
those  who  themselves  often  did  the  same  miracles,  in 
their  presence,  and  in  his  name  ?  Could  any  reasonable 
person  imagine,  that  God  Almighty  would  arm  men 
with  such  powers  to  authorize  a  lie,  and  establish  a  re- 
ligion in  the  world  which  was  displeasing  to  him,  or 
that  evil  spirits  would  lend  them  such  an  effbctuiil  as- 
sistance to  beat  down  vice  and  idolatr}-.  ^ 

When  the  apostles  had  formed  many  asscm!)lies  in 
several  pans  of  the  Pagan  world,  who  gave  credit  to  the 
glad-tidings  of  the  gospel,  that,  upon  their  departure, 
the  memory  of  what  they  had  related  might  not  perish, 
they  appointed  out  of  these  new  converts,  ftiCnof  the 
best  sense  and  the  most  unblemished  lives,  to  preside 
over  these  several  assemblies,  and  to  inculcate  without 
ceasing,  what  they  had  heard  from  the  mouths  of  these 
eve-witnesses. 

The  succession  of  bishops  was  quick  in  the  three 
first  centuries,  because  the  bishop  \'ery  often  ended  ir: 
the  martyr  ;  for  when  a  persecution  arose  in  any  place, 
the  first  fury  of  it  fell  upon  this'ordcr  of  holy  men,  wh(> 
abundantly  testified  by  their  deaths  and  sufferings,  that 
they  did  not  undertake  these  olhces  out  of  any  tem- 
poral vievv^s,  that  they  were  sincere  and  satisfied  in 
the  belief  of  what  they  taught,  and  diat  they  lirmly  ad- 
hered  to  what  they  had  received  from  the  iipostles, 
as  laying  down  their  lives  in  the  same  hope,  and  upon 
the  same  principles.  None  can  be  supposed  so  ut- 
terly regardless  of  their  own  happiness,  as  to  expire 
in  torment,  and  hazard  their  eternity,  to  support  any 
faj^les  and  inventions  pf  their  own,  or  any  Ibrircrie- 


3^8  THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITV. 

of  their  predecessors  who  had  presided  in  the  sam$ 
church,  and  which  might  have  been  easily  detected 
by  the  tradition  of  that  particular  church,  as  well  as 
by  the  concurring  testimony  of  others.  To  this  pur- 
pose, we  think  it  is  very  remarkable,  that  there  was 
not  a  single  martyr  amongst  those  many  heretics,  who 
disagreed  with  the  apostolical  church,  and  introduced 
several  wild  alid  absurd  notions  into  the  doctrines  of 
Christianity.  Tliey  durst  not  stake  their  present  and 
future  happiness  on  their  own  chimerical  imaginations 
and  did  not  only  shun  persecution,  but  affirmed,  that  it 
Avas  unncessary  for  their  followers  to  bear  their  religion 
through  such  fiery  trials. 

Amongst  the  accounts  of  those  very  few,  out  of  in- 
numerable multitudes  who  had  embraced  Christianity, 
we  shall  single  out  four  persons  eminent  for  their  lives, 
their  writings,  and  their  sufferings,  that  were  successively 
cotemporaries,  and  bring  us  down  as  far  as  the  year  of 
our  Lord  254.  St.  John  who  was  the  beloved  disciple, 
and  conversed  the  most  intimately  with  our  Saviour, 
lived  till  A.  D.  100.  Poly  carp,  who  was  the  disciple 
of  St.  John,  and  had  conversed  with  other  of  the  apos- 
tles and  disciples  of  our  Lord,  lived  till  A.  D.  167, 
though  his  life  was  shortened  by  martyrdom.  Irenaeus, 
who  was  the  disciple  of  Polycarp,  and  had  conversed 
with  many  of  the  immediate  disciples  of  the  apostles, 
lived  at  the  lowest  computation  of  his  age,  till  the  year 
202,  when  he  was  likewise  cut  off  by  martyrdom  :  in 
which  yeur  the  great  Origen  was  appointed  regent  of 
the  catechetic  school  in  Alexandria,  and  as  he  was  the 
miracle  of  that  age,  for  industry,  learning,  and  philoso- 
phy, he  was  looked  on  as  the  champion  of  Christianity, 
till  the  year  254  ;  when  he  died,  he  was  certainly  actua- 
ted by  the  spirit  of  it,  as  appears  in  the  whole  course 
of  his  life  and  writings ;  nay,  he  had  undergone  trials 
worse  than  death. 

The  Christians,  who  carried  their  religion  through  so 
many  general  and  particular  persecutions,  were  inces^. 


THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY.  359 

santly  comforting  and  supporting  one  another  witli  the 
example  and  history  of  our  Saviour  and  his  apostles  : 
it  was  the  subject  not  only  of  their  solemn  assemblies 
but  of  their  private  visits  and  conversation.  '*  Our 
virgins,"  says  Tatian,  who  lived  in  the  second  century, 
"  discourse  over  their  distaffs  on  divine  subjects."  In- 
deed, when  religion  was  woven  into  the  civil  govern- 
ment, and  flourished  under  the  protection  of  the  empe- 
rors, mens'  thoughts  and  discourses  were,  as  they  are 
now,  full  of  secular  affairs ;  but  in  the  three  first  cen- 
turies of  Christianity,  men  who  embraced  this  religion 
had  givePx  up  all  their  interests  in  this  world,  and  lived 
in  a  perpetual  preparation  for  the  next,  as  not  know- 
ing how  soon  they  might  be  called  to  it :  so  that  they 
had  little  else  to  talk  of  but  the  life  and  doctrines  of 
that  divine  Person  which  was  their  hope,  their  encour- 
agement, and  their  glory. 

We  cannot  imagine,  that  there  was  a  single  person 
arrived  at  any  degree  of  age  or  consideration,  who  had 
not  heard  and  repeated  above  a  thousand  times  in  his 
life,  all  the  particulars  of  our  Saviour's  birth,  life,  death 
resurrection,  and  ascension  ;  especiall}^  if  we  consider 
that  they  could  not  then  be  received  as  Christians,  till 
they  had  undergone  several  examinations.  Persons 
of  riper  years,  who  flocked  daily  in  the  church  daring 
the  three  first  centuries,  were  obliged  to  pass  through 
many  repeated  instructions,  and  give  a  strict  account  of 
their  proficiency,  before  they  were  admitted  to  bap- 
tism. And  as  for  those  who  were  born  of  Christian 
parents  and  had  been  baptized  in  their  infancy,  the} 
were,  with  the  like  care,  prepared  and  disciplinedfor  con- 
firmation, \vhich  they  could  not  arrive  at,  till  they  were 
found  upon  examination  to  have  made  a  sufficient  pro- 
gress in  the  knowledge  of  Christianity. 

We  must  further  observe,  that  there  was  not  onl} 
in  those  times  this  religious  conversation  amongst  pri- 
vate Christians,  but  a  constant  correspondence  between 
the  churches  that   were  established  by  the  apostles  or 


360  THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

their  successors,  in  the  several  parts  of  the  world.  If 
any  new  doctrine  was  stated,  or  any  fact  reported  of  our 
Saviour,  a  strict  inquiry  was  made  amongst  the  churches, 
especially  those  pkmted  by  the  apostles  themselves, 
whether  they  had  received  any  such  doctrine  or  account 
of  our  Saviour,  from  the  mouths  of  the  apostles,  or  the 
tradition  of  the  Christians  who  had  preceded  the  pre- 
sent members  of  the  churches,  which  were  thus  con- 
sulted. By  this  means,  when  any  novelty  was  pub- 
lished, it  was  immediately  detected  and  censured. 

St.  John,  who  lived  so  many  years  after  our  Saviour, 
was  appealed  to  in  those  emergencies,  as  the  livings; 
oracle  of  the  church  ;  and  as  his  oral  testimony  lasted 
the  first  century,  many  have  observed,  that  by  a  partic- 
ulapv  providence  of  God,  several  of  our  Saviour's  disci- 
ples, and  of  the  early  converts  of  his  religion,  lived  to  a 
very  great  age,  that  they  might  personally  convey  the 
truth  of  the  gospel  to  those  times,  v/hich  were  very  re- 
mote from  the  first  publication  of  it.  Of  these  besides 
St.  John  we  have  a  remarkable  instance  in  Simeon,  who 
was  one  of  the  seventy  sent  forth  by  our  Saviour,  to 
publish  the  gospel  before  his  crucifixion,  and  a  near 
kinsman  to  our  Lord. 

This  venerable  person,  who  had  probably  heard  witli 
his  own  ears,  our  Saviour's  prophecy  of  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem,  presided  over  the  church  established  in 
that  city,  during  the  time  of  its  memorable  siege,  and 
drew  his  congregation  out  of  those  dreadful  and  unpar- 
alleled calamities  which  befell  his  countrymen,  by  fol- 
lowing the  advice  our  Saviour  had  given,  when  they 
should  see  Jerusalem  encompassed  with  armies,  and  the 
Roman  standards,  or  abomination  of  desolation,  set  up. 
He  lived  till  the  year  of  our  Lord  107,  when  he  was 
martyred  under  the  emperor  Trajan. 

Ireneaus  very  aptly  remarks,  that  those  barbarous 
nations,  who  in  his  time  were  not  possessed  of  the  writ- 
len  (gospels,  and  had  only  learned  the  history  of  our  Sa* 


I^IIE  EVIDENTCES  OF  (!:HRISTIAMTY  361 

vnoiir  from  those  who  had  converted  them  to  Christian- 
ity before  the  gospels  were  written,  had  amongst  them 
the  same  accounts  of  our  Saviour,  which  are  to  be  met 
with  in  the  four  evangeHsts  ;  an  incontestable  proof  of 
the  harmony  and  concurrence  between  the  holy  scrip- 
ture and  the  tradition  of  the  churches  in  those  early 
times  of  Christianity.  Thus  we  see  what  opportunities 
the  learned  and  inquisitive  Heathens  had  of  informing 
themselves  of  the  truth  of  our  Saviour's  history,  during 
the  three  first  centuries,  especially  as  they  lay  nearer 
one  than  another  to  the  fountain-head  ;  besides  w^hicli 
there  were  many  uncontroverted  traditions,  records  of 
Christianity,  and  particular  histories,  that  then  threw 
light  into  these  matters,  but  are  now  entirely  lost. 

We  cannot  omit  that  which  appears  to  us  a  standing 
miracle  in  the  three  first  (J^enturies,  namely,  that  amaz- 
ing and  supernatural  courage  or  patience  w^hich  was 
shewn  by  innumerable  multitudes  of  martyrs,  in  those 
slow  and  painful  torments  that  were  inflicted  on  them. 
We  cannot  conceive  a  man  placed  in  the  burning  iron 
chair  at  Lyons,  amidst  the  insults  and  mockeries  of  a 
crowded  amphitheatre,  and  still  keeping  his  seat ;  or 
stretched  upon  a  grate  of  iron,  over  coals  of  lire,  and 
breathing  out  his  soul  amongst  the  exquisite  sufferings 
of  such  a  tedious  execution,  rather  than  renounce  his 
religion,  or  blaspheme  his  Saviour.  Such  trials  seem 
to  us  above  the  strength  of  human  nature,  and  able  to 
overbear  duty,  reason,  faith,  conviction,  nay,  and  the 
most  absolute  certainty  of  a  future  state.  Humanity 
unassisted  in  an  extraordinary  manner,  must  have  sha- 
ken  off  the  present  pressure,  and  have  delivered  itself 
out  of  such  a  dreadful  distress,  by  any  means  that  could, 
have  been  suggested  to  it.  W^e  can  easil}'  imagine^ 
that  many  persons,  in  so  good  a  cause,  might  have  laid 
down  their  lives  at  the  gibbet,  tlic  stake,  or  the  block  : 
but  to  expire  leisuicly  amongst  the  most  exquisite  tor- 
lures,  when  tliey  might  come  out  of  them,  even  by  a 
mental  reservation,  or  an  hypocrisy,  which  was  not  with^ 
out  a  possibility  of  being  folio  we'd  by  a  r«^n'-r,t;)nrc  and 

VOL.  ii.  '  c:  z 


362  THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISl'IANITY. 

forgiveness,  has  something  in  it  so  far  beyond  the  nat- 
ural strength  of  mortals  that  one  cannot  but  think  there 
was  some  miraculous  power  to  support  the  sufferer. 

We  find  the  church  of  Smyrna,  in  that  admirable  let- 
ter which  gives  an  account  of  the  death  of  Polycarp, 
their  beloved  bishop;  mentioning  the  cruel  torments  of 
other  early  martyrs  of  Christianity,  are  of  opinion,  that 
our  Saviour  stood  by  them  in  a  vision,  ancl  personally 
conversed  with  them,  to  give  strength  and  comfort  dur- 
ing the  bitterness  of  their  long  continued  agonies  ;  and 
we  have  the  story  of  a  young  man,  who  having  suffered 
many  tortures,  escaped  with  life,  and  told  his  fellow 
Christians,  that  the  pain  of  them  had  been  rendered  tol- 
erable by  the  presence  of  an  angel  who  stood  by  him, 
wiped  off  the  tears  and  sweat,  which  ran  down  his  face 
whilst  he  lay  under  his  sufferings.  We  are  assured,  at 
least,  that  the  first  martyr  for  Christianity  was  encour- 
aged in  his  last  moments,  by  a  vision  of  that  divine  Per- 
son, for  whom  he  suffered,  and  into  whose  presence  he 
was  then  hastening. 

It  is  certain,  that  the  deaths  and  sufferings  of  the  pri- 
mitive Christians  had  a  great  share  in  the  conversion  of 
those  learned  Pagans,  who  lived  in  the  ages  of  perse- 
cution, which  with  some'intervals  and  abatements,  last- 
ed near  three  hundred  years  after  our  Saviour.  Justin 
Martyr,  TertuUian,  Lactantius,  Arnobius,  and  others^ 
tells  us,  that  this  first  of  all  alarmed  their  curiosity, 
roused  their  attention,  and  made  them  seriously  inqui- 
sitive into  the  nature  of  that  religion,  which  could  endue 
the  mind  with  so  much  strength,  and  overcome  tli€  fear 
of  death,  nay,  raise  an  earnest  desire  of  it,  though  it 
appeared  in  all  its  terrors.  This  they  found  had  not 
been  affected  by  all  the  doctrines  of  those  philosophers, 
whom  they  had  thoroughly  studied,  and  who  had  been 
labouring  at  this  great  point.  The  sight  of  these  dying 
and  tormented  martyrs,  engaged  them  to  search  into  the 
history  and  doctrines  of  him  for  whom  they  suffered. 
The  more  they  seai'ched,  the  more  they  were  convinced : 


THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CnRlSTIAMT\'.  saS 

till  their  conviction  grew  so  strong,  that  they  tlicmsclvcs 
embraced  the  same  truths,  and  either  actuallv  laid  down 
tlieir  lives,  or  were  always  in  a  readiness  to  do  it,  rather 
than  depart  from  them. 

There  arc  predictions  of  our  Saviour  recorded  b)  the 
evangelists,  which  were  not  completed  till  after  their 
deaths,  and  had  no  likelihood  of  being  so,  when  they 
were  pronounced  by  our  blessed  Saviour. — Such  was 
that  wonderful  notice  he  gave  them,  that  they  should 
be  brought  before  gjovernors  and  kings  for  his  sake, 
for  a  testimony  against  them  and  the  Gentiles,  Madi. 
X.  18.  with  the  other  like  prophecies,  by  which  he  fore- 
told that  his  disciples  were  to  be  i^ersecuted. 

Origen  insists  with  great  strength,  on  that  wonderful 
prediction  of  our  Saviour  concerning  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem,  pronounced  at  a  time,  as  he  observes,  when 
there  was  no  likelihood  nor  appearance  of  it.  This  has 
been  taken  notice  of  and  inculcated  bv  so  manv  others 
that  we  shall  refer  you  to  what  this  father  has  said  on 
the  subject  in  his  first  book  against  Celsus.  And  a;;. 
to  the  accomplishment  of  this  remarkable  prophecy, 
shall  only  observe,  that  whoever  reads  the  account  given 
us  by  Josephus,  without  knowing  his  character,  and 
compares  it  with  what  our  Saviour  Ibretold,  would  think 
the  historian  had  notliing  else  in  view  but  to  adjust  the 
event  to  the  prediction. 

Tlie  ancient  Christians  were  so  entirely  persuaded  of 
the  force  of  our  Saviour's  prophecies,  and  of  the  pun- 
ishment Avhich  the  Jews  had  drawn  upon  thejnselvcs, 
and  upon  their  children  :  for  the  treatment  w  hich  tlic 
Messiah  had  received  at  their  hands,  that  they  did  nor 
doubt  but  they  would  always  remain  an  abandoned  and 
dispersed  people,  an  hissing  and  astonishment  amongst 
the  nations,  as  they  are  to  this  day.  in  short,  that  they 
had  lost  their  peculiarity  of  being  God's  people,  which 
vas  no^v  transferred  to  the  body  of  Chri^>tians,  and 
"hich  preserved  the  church  of  Tti  p.nr  amnn^.^si  all  th;: 


S64  THE  EVIDENCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

conflicts,  difliculties,  and  persecutions  in  which  it  was 
engaged,  as  it  had  preserved  the  Jewish  government 
and  economy  for  so  many  ages,  whilst  it  had  the  same 
truth  and  vital  principle  in  it,  notwithstanding  it  was 
so  frequently  in  danger  of  being  utterly  abolished  and 
destroyed.  Origen,  in  his  fourth  book  against  Celsus, 
mentioning  their  being  cast  out  of  Jerusalem,  to  which 
their  worship  was  annexed,  deprived  of  their  temple 
and  sacrifice,  their  religious  rites  and  solemnities,  and 
scattered  over  the  face  of  the  earth,  ventures  to  assure 
them  with  a  face  of  confidence,  that  they  would  never 
be  re-established,  since  they  had  committed  that  horrid 
crime  against  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  This  was  a 
bold  assertion  in  the  good  man,  who  knew  how  this 
people  had  been  so  wonderfully  re-established  in  former 
times,  when  they  were  almost  swallowed  up,  and  in  the 
most  desperate  state  of  desolation,  as  in  their  deliver- 
ance out  of  the  Babylonish  captivity,  and  the  oppressions 
of  Antiochus  Epiphanes  :  nay  he  knew  that  within  less 
than  an  hundred  years  before  his  own  time,  the  Jews 
had  made  such  a  powerful  effort  for  their  re-establish. 
mtnt  under  Barchocab,  in  the  reign  of  Adrian,  as  shook 
tlie  whole  Roman  empire  :  but  he  founded  his  opinion 
on  a  sure  word  of  prophecy,  and  on  the  punishment 
they  had  so  justly  incurred  j  and  we  find  by  a  long  ex- 
perience of  fifteen  hundred  years,  that  he  was  not  mis- 
taken, nay,  that  his  opinion  gathers  strength  daily,  since 
the  Jews  are  now  at  a  greater  distance  from  any  proba- 
bility of  such  a  re- establishment,  than  they  were  when 
Origen  wrote. 

In  the  primitive  times,  the  Christian  religion  shewed 
its  full  force  and  efficacy  on  the  minds  of  men,  and 
many  examples  demonstrated  what  great  and  generous 
^ouls  it  was  capable  of  producing.  It  exalted  and  re- 
fined its  proselytes  to  a  very  high  degree  of  perfection, 
and  set  them  far  above  the  pleasures,  and  even  the 
pains,  of  this  life.  It  strengthened  the  infirmity,  and 
broke  the  fierceness  of  human  nature.  It  lifted  up  the 
minds  of  the  ignorant  to  the  knowledge  and  worship  of 


THE  liVIDENXES  OF  CHinSTIANITY.  GG5 

him  that  made  them,  and  inspired  the  vicious  ^\ith  ii 
rational  devotion,  a  strict  purity  of  heart,  and  an  un- 
bounded love  to  their  fellow-creatures.  In  ])ropoition 
as  it  spread  through  the  world,  it  seemed  to  change 
mankind  into  another  species  of  beings.  No  sooner 
was  a  convert  initiated  into  it,  but  by  an  easy  liguie  he 
became  a  new  man,  and  both  acted  and  looked  upon 
himself  as  one  re-generated  and  born  a  second  lime  into 
another  state  of  existence. 

But  we  find  no  argument  made  a  stronger  impression 
on  the  minds  of  these  eminent  Pagan  converts,  for 
strengthening  their  faith  in  the  history  of  our  Saviour, 
than  the  predictions  relating  to  him  in  those  old  pro- 
phetic writings,  which  were  deposited  amongst  the 
liands  of  the  greatest  enemies  to  Christianity  and  owned 
by  them  to  have  been  extant  many  ages  before  his  ap- 
pearance. The  learned  Heathen  converts  were  aston- 
ished to  see  the  whole  history  of  their  Saviour's  life 
published  before  he  was  born,  and  to  find  tliat  the  evan- 
gelists and  prophets  in  their  accounts  of  the  Messiah, 
differed  qnly  in  point  of  time,  that  one  foretelling  what 
should  happen  to  him,  and  the  other  describingthose\  ery 
particulars  as  ^vhat  had  actually  happened.  This  our 
Saviour  himself  was  pleased  to  make  use  of  as  the 
strongest  argument  of  his  being  the  promised  Messiah, 
and  without  it  would  iiardlv  have  reconciled  his  disci- 
pies  to  the  ignominy  of  his  death,  as  in  that  remarkable 
passage  which  mentions  his  conversation  with  the  two 
disciples,  on  the  day  of  his  resurrection,  St.  Luke  xxiv, 
13.  to  the  end.  Besides  the  Heathen  converts  after 
having  travelled  through  all  human  Iciu-ning,  and  lor, 
tified  their  minds  with  the  knowledge  of  art  and  sciences 
were  particularly  qualified  to  examine  these  prophecies 
wdth  great  care  an  impartiality,  and  without  prejudice 
or  prepossession  ;  so  as  to  establish  in  their  minds  the 
firm  belief  of  the  truth  and  excellency  of  the  Christian 
religion,  beyond  the  least  degree  of  a  doubt  concern- 
ing it. 

FINIS. 


APPENDIX. 


EVIDENCES 


OF    THE 


CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


Briefly  and  /ilainly  stated'. 


BY 


JAMES  BEATTIE,  LL.  D.  F.  R.  S.  E. 


PROFESSOR  OF  MORAL  PHILOSOPHY  IN  MARISCHAL 
COLLEGE,  ABERDEEN,  AND  MEMBER  OF  THE  ZEA- 
LAND SOCIETY  OF  ARTS  AND  SCIENCES,  AND  OF 
THE  LITERARY  AND  PHILOSOPHICAL  SOCIETYOF 
MANCHESTER. 


INTRODUCTION. 


JL  HAT  there  is  in  the  world,  and  that  for  more  than 
seventeen  hundred  years  there  has  been,  a  Religion 
called  The  Christian,  will  hardly  be  controverted: 
and  that  it  must  have  derived  its  origin  from  some  per- 
son or  persons,  who  introduced  and  taught  it,  seems  to 
be  equally  certain,  or  at  least  will  not  be  denied  by  those 
who  allow  a  cause  to  be  necessary  to  the  production  of 
an  effect. 

This  religion,  say  the  Christians,  derives  its  origin 
from  Jesus  Christ;  a  person  of  unequalled  wisdom, 
unexampled  goodness,  and  supernatural  power;  who 
taught  it  to  his  disciples,  commanding  them  to  preach 
it  in  all  nations.  This  religion,  says  the  infidel,  admit- 
ting that  Jesus  introduced  it,  derives  its  origin  from 
imposture  and  falsehood,  and  owes  its  continuance  to 
the  enthusiasm,  the  knavery,  and  the  folly  of  mankind. 

The  tendency  of  this  religion,  say  its  enemies,  is  to 
darken  and  bewilder  the  understanding,  to  interrupt  the 
pleasures  of  life,  to  confound  human  affairs,  to  debase 
the  mind  by  superstition,  and  to  make  men  timorous 
and  cruel.  The  tendency  of  this  religion,  say  they  who 
are  better  acquainted  with  it,  is  to  enlighten  the  mind 
with  true  wisdom ;  to  banish  superstition  ;  to  promote 
universal  righteousness,  charity,  and  peace;  to  com- 
fort us  in  adversity,  and  give  prosperity  its  highest  re- 
lish; to  encourage  the  most  transporting  hopes,  with 
full  assurance  that  they  will  not  be  disappointed ;  to  re- 
press every  malevolent  and  every  evil  passion;  to  make 
men,  whatever  their  outward  circumstances  may  be,  re- 
signed and  thankful ;  and,  in  a  word,  to  promote  their 
happiness,  both  in  time,  and  through  all  eternity. 

VOL.  il.  3  A 


S70  iNTRODUCTlUN. 

Opfnions  SO  opposite  cannot  both  be  true ;  and  they  who 
have  the  nieans  of  knowing  the  truth,  ought  to  inquire 
on  which  side  it  lies.  If  this  reUgion  be  from  heaven, 
to  be  indifferent  about  it  is  inexcusable,  and  must  be 
dangerous.  And  no  man  is  entitled  to  say,  that  it  is  not 
from  heaven,  till  he  has  studied  its  evidence  and  doc- 
trines, and  found  the  former  insufficient  to  satisfy  a  fair 
mind,  and  the  latter  unworthy  of  a  divine  original.  To 
refuse  to  believe,  or  inquire  ibout  this  religion,  because 
one  may  have  read  or  heard  some  things  plausibly  writ- 
ten or  said  against  it,  would  be  as  uncandid,  as  to  re- 
fuse all  information  concerning  my  character,  for  ex- 
ample, except  that  which  is  known  to  have  been  given 
by  my  mortal  enemy.  Between  the  two  cases,  how- 
ever, there  is  this  difference;  and  a  very  considerable  one 
it  seems  to  be.  To  the  greater  part  of  mankind  it  is 
a  matter  of  no  moment  to  be  informed,  whether  I  be 
honest,  or  the  contrary,  a  man  of  sense,  or  a  fool.  But 
if  the  Christian  religion  be  true,  and  that  it  is  false  has 
not  yet  been  proved,  it  must  be  a  matter  of  infinite  con- 
cern to  us  all,  that  it  be  accurately  studied,  and  well 
understood. 

In  defence  of  Christianity  many  excellent  books  have 
been  written;  by  Grotius,  Clarke,  Locke,  Lardner, 
Butler,  West,  Lyttleton,  Sherlock,  and  others,  whose 
integrity  and  learning  will  not  be  called  in  question. 
The  design  of  this  little  work  is,  not  to  supercede,  as 
unnecessary,  but  to  recommend,  and  serve  as  an  intro- 
duction to,  the  perusal  of  those  great  authors;  by  show- 
ing as  plainly,  and  as  briefly,  as  I  can,  to  every  candid 
reader,  and  especially  to  the  young,  that  the  evidence 
of  this  religion  is  at  least  strong  enough  to  merit  atten- 
tion and  deliberate  inquiry.  If  I  can  accomplish  even 
this  purpose,  I  shall  do  service  to  a  cause,  which,  as  a 
friend  to  makind,  I  have  always  had  very  much  at  heart. 
For,  from  several  conversations  w4iich  it  has  been  my 
chance  to  have  with  unbelievers,  I  have  learned,  that 
ignorance  of  the  nature  of  our  religion,  and  a  disin- 
clination to  study  both  it  and  its  evidence  are  to  be  reck= 
oned  among  the  chief  causes  gf  infidelity. 


INTRODUCTION.  Sfi 

I  have  sometimes  met  with  little  practical  treatises 
called  Ten  mitiutes  advice-^to  those  who  are  about  to 
engage  in  such  or  such  an  enterprise.  Those  perform- 
ances may  have  their  use,  though  they  should  not  con- 
tain a  full  detail  of  the  business  alluded  to.  I  mean  to 
give  Tvw  hours  advice' — to  that  jjerson,  who  may  be  in 
danger  from  the  books,  or  from  the  company,  of  infi- 
dels, and  is  candid  enough  to  desire  to  be  informed,  in 
few  words,  whether  the  evidence  on  the  other  side  be  so 
plausible  as  to  deserve  the  notice  of  a  rational  mind.  If 
I  shall  satisfy  him  that  it  is,  he  will  naturally  lay  mc 
aside,  and  have  recourse,  for  futher  information,  to 
those  authors  who  have  gone  through  the  ^A'hole  sub- 
ject, and  illustrated  and  proved  many  things,  which  the 
narrowness  of  my  plan  permits  me  only  to  affirm,  or 
perhap§  only  to  hint  at.  And,  which  is  far  the  most  im- 
portant part  of  the  whole  procedure,  he  will  at  the  same 
time  REVERENTLY  CONSULT  thosc  SacTcd  Oracles, 
which  contain  the  history  of  Divine  Revelation  ;  and 
w^hich  he  will  fmd,  more  frequently,  perhaps,  and  more 
fully,  than  he  could  have  imagined,  to  carry  their  own 
evidence  along  with  them.  And  when  he  has  done  all 
this,  in  the  spirit  of  candour,  and  with  an  humble  and 
docile  mind,  and  a  sincere  desire  to  know  the  truth  and 
his  duty,  I  may  venture  to  assure  him,  that  he  \\^ill  not 
regret  the  time  he  has  employed  in  the  study,  and  tliat 
from  the  writings  or  conversation  of  unbelievers  his 
faith  will  never  be  fn  danger  any  more* 


Xl/   \U 


CHAPTER  I. 


REVELATION   IS   USEFUL   AND   NECESSARY, 

HE  evidence  of  the  Christian  Religion  is  a  subject 
of  great  extent:  all  I  purpose  to  do  is,  to  give  a  sum- 
mary view  of  it.  I  do  not  mean  to  produce  proof  for 
every  one  of  the  assertions  I  may  make  concerning  mat- 
ters of  fact:  for  this  would  require  a  great  deal  of  time, 
but  knowing,  tliat  to  the  l^est  cause  every  sort  of  mis- 
representation is  injurious,  I  shall  be  careful  to  ad- 
vance nothing  as  certain,  but  what  does  admit  of  proof 
and  has  actually  been  proved  by  the  learned  authors, 
who  have  distinguislied  themselves  on  the  side  of  trutli 
in  this  controversy. 

This  evidence  lias  been  divided  into  external  and  in- 
ternal: the  former  arising  from  prophecy,  miracles,  and 
historical  testimony ;  the  latter,  from  the  peculiar  char- 
acter, and  intrinsic  excellency  of  the  Christian  religion. 
Some  authors  have  enlarged  chiefly  on  the  one  sort  of 
evidence,  and  some  on  the  other;  and  some  have  been 
equally  attentive  to  both.  I  shall  speak,  first,  of  the 
external  evidence,  and,  secondly,  of  the  internal;  though 
occasionally  perhaps,  and  in  order  to  avoid  prolixity 
and  needless  repetition,  I  may  speak  of  both  at  the  same 
time. 

The  first  thing  to  be  inquired  into  is,  the  importance 
and  usefulness  of  Divine  Revelation.  For,  if  such  a 
thing  be  useful  and  important,  and  even  necessary  to 
man,  it  must  be  suitable  to  the  divine  wisdom  and  good- 
ness to  bestow  it. 

1.  If  man  had  persevered  in  his  primitive  innocence: 
if  human  principles  and  practice  had  no  influence  on 
human  happiness,  or  on  each  other;  and  if  ignorance, 
inattention,  and  prejudice,  if  superstition  and  sensuaU 


S74.  REVELATION  IS  USEFUL 

ity,  if  savage  life  and  sanguinary  passions,  had  no  ten- 
dency to  coiTupt  mens  opinions,  to  pervert  their  reason, 
and  to  pkinge  them  into  guilt  and  wretchedness; — oa 
these  suppositions,  I  should  readily  admit,  that  there  is 
no  need  of  revelation.  But  from  daily  experience,  and 
from  the  history  of  men  in  all  ages  it  appears,  that  not 
one  of  the  things  now  supposed  is  agreeable  to  fact. 

That  man  did  not  persevere  in  innocence,  requires  no 
proof.  That  corrupt  principles  and  criminal  practices 
lead  to  misery,  and  truth  and  virtue  to  happiness,  is  as 
evident,  as  that  order  is  preferable  to  confusion,  securi- 
ty to  danger,  and  a  wise  and  good  man  to  a  barbarian 
or  wild  beast.  That,  even  though  our  intentions  be 
good,  we  must  mistake  our  duty,  if  we  are  ignorant  of 
the  nature  of  that  Being  who  is  the  object  of  it,  will  not 
be  doubted  by  those  who  have  observed,  that  we  must 
believe  a  man  to  be  our  parent  or  benefactor,  before  we 
can  be  sensible  that  we  owe  him  the  duty  of  gratitude 
or  filial  affection.  And  that  mens  notions  of  all  the  ob- 
jects of  duty,  of  their  Creator,  their  fellow-men,  and 
themselves,  are  liable  to  be  perverted,  and  in  every 
country  unenlightened  by  revelation,  have  been  per- 
verted, by  the  weakness  of  the  human  understanding, 
by  the  force  of  prejudice  and  passion,  by  vice,  by  in- 
attention, by  superstition,  and  by  ignorance,  the  history 
of  mankind  proves  to  be  a  melancholy,  but  incontesti- 
ble  truth. 

This  being  granted,  it  will  follow,  that  a  revelation, 
which  rectifies  and  ascertains  mens  notions  of  the  seve- 
ral objects  of  duty,  by  explaining  the  nature  of  God 
and  of  man,  and  by  informing  their  conscience  with 
respect  to  particular  duties,  must  be  highly  important 
and  beneficial;  and  must  even  be  necessary  to  the  at- 
tainment of  that  degree  of  happiness  and  virtue,  where- 
of human  nature  appears  to  be  susceptible,  and  for 
which  therefore,  we  may  presume  that  man  was  made. 

2.  The  character  of  the  supreme  Being,  and  the  na- 
ture and  destination  of  man,  must  be  very  imperfectly 
known  to  those  who  have  received  no  positive  infor- 
mation concerning  the  reality  of  a  future  state,  and 


AND  NECESSARY.  Z7S 

its  connection  with  the  present.  Now  this  is  a  point 
on  which  all  the  evidences  collected  by  human  rea* 
son,  while  unaided  by  divine  light,  amount  to  nothin<^ 
higher  than  probable  conjecture.  But  that  better  evi- 
dence, in  so  interesting  a  matter,  must  be  a  desirable 
thing  will  be  acknowledged  by  all  men  : — unless  there 
be  men  who  believe  that  a  future  state  is  an  absolute 
impossibility.  Revelation,  therefore,  seems  to  be  ne- 
cessary, to  give  such  evidence  of  another  life,  and 
such  intelligence  concerning  ita  as  may  vindicate  the 
divine  goodness  and  wisdom  with  respect  to  the  con^ 
stitution  of  the  present ;  and  such  as  may  also  prove 
a  comfort  to  good  men,  and  a  restraint  on  the  pas- 
sions of  the  wicked  ;  and  such,  moreover,  as  may  serve 
for  a  solemn  intimation  to  all  men,  that  their  beha- 
viour in  this  state  of  trial  is  to  them  a  matter  of  infinite 
importance.  That  this  last  consideration  strengthens 
morality,  or  promotes  at  least  the  peace  of  society,  and 
consequently,  the  happiness  of  mankind,  seems  to  be 
admitted  by  the  enemies,  as  well  as  by  the  friends  of 
religion.  Else  how  can  we  account  for  that  favourite 
notion  of  the  infidel,  that  religion  was  contrived,  and 
is  patronized,  by  politicians,  in  order  to  overawe  the 
world,  and  make  the  passions  of  men  more  managea- 
ble .^^ 

3.  Revelation  is  further  necessary,  to  explain  on 
what  terms  we  may  hope  for  pardon,  consistently  with 
the  perfection  of  divine  justice.  Of  the  necessity  of 
expiation  for  guilt,  all  mankind  seem  to  have  had  an 
idea;  as  appears  for  the  universal  use  of  sacrifices. — 
But,  from  the  multitude  of  the  pagan  expiatory  rites  ; 
from  the  absurdity  of  all,  and  the  impiety  of  many  of 
them ;  and  especially  from  the  circumstance  of  their 
consulting  oracles  on  the  subject  of  atonement ;  we 
may  warrantably  infer,  not  only  their  ignorance  of  duty 
in  this  particular,  but  also  their  consciousness  of  that 
ignorance.  And  some  of  their  best  philosophers  of  the 
Socratic  school  seemed  to  think,  that,  till  God  should 
be  pleased  to  reveal  his  will  in  an  extraordinary  man- 
ner, it  would  be  impossible  for  man  to  know  what  re- 


376  REVELATION  IS  USEFUL 

ligious  service  would  be  most  acceptable  to  him.  To 
those,  who  were  so  wise,  and  so  candid,  as  to  think 
and  speak  in  this  manner,  may  we  not  presume,  that 
the  Christian  doctrine  of  repentance  and  faith,  if 
they  had  rightly  understood  it,  and  if  they  had  known 
its  evidence,  would  have  been  a  most  welcome  disco- 
very ? 

To  our  infidels,  indeed,  it  is  not  welcome;  for  they 
say  they  have  no  need  of  it :  being,  it  seems,  fully  sat- 
isfied, that,  however  ignorant  Socrates  might  confess 
himself  to  be,  they  have  all  the  knowledge  that  man 
has  occasion  for.  And  yet,  if  it  had  not  been  for  this 
manifestation  of  divine  grace  and  truth,  they  would, 
probably,  at  this  day,  have  been  consulting  oracles, 
offering  incense  to  idols,  or  perhaps,  like  many  of  our 
remote  forefathers,  polluting  the  creation  with  hu- 
man sacrifices.  Certain  it  is,  that  in  these  things  no 
material  reformation  was  ever  introduced,  or  attempt- 
ed by  the  philosophers  of  old.  That  men  should  wor- 
ship the  gods,  and  perform  the  sacrifices,  and  other 
rites,  as  by  law  established,  was  the  doctrine,  not 
of  Pythagoras  and  Epictetus  only,  but  of  Cicero,  a 
wiser,  or  more  learned  man  at  least,  than  either,  and 
even  of  Socrates  himself,  the  wisest  of  them  all.  So 
that,  if  philosophy  had  been  man's  only  guide,  it  is 
probable,  nay  it  is  more  than  probable,  that  idolatry 
would  at  this  day  have  been  his  religion. 

4.  Revelation  is  yet  further  necessary,  in  order  to 
make  the  whole  of  human  duty  not  only  knoivn  but 
obvious  to  all  capacities.  The  best  heathen  moralists 
acknowledged  their  ignorance  in  some  points  of  duty; 
and  whatthey  knew  they  had  notpower  to  enforce  upon 
the  common  people,  who,  in  ancient  times,  were  very 
illiterate,  having  rarely  access  to  books,  whereof  there 
were  then  but  few  in  the  world.  Though  they  had 
possessed  such  power,  and  been  all  of  the  same 
mind,  which  was  by  no  means  the  case;  and  though 
they  had  not  been  prompted,  as  most  oi  them  were,  by 
pride,  vanity,  or  the  spirit  of  contradiction,  to  intro- 
duce new  systems,  yet  their  labours  could  have  but 


And  necessary.  jrr 

Jittle  effect.  Such  arguments  as  they  had  to  offer,  the 
greater  part  of  mankind  could  not  understand.  For, 
in  fact,  the  common  people,  in  general,  are  not  capa- 
ble of  perceiving  the  force  of  arguments,  especially 
when  the  reasoning  is  complex,  and  relates  to  matters 
so  remote  from  sense  of  the  truths  of  morality  and  re- 
ligion. Of  this  some  ancient  lavVgivers,  as  Minos  of 
Crete,  and  Numa  of  Rome  were  so  sensible,  that  they 
thought  it  prudent  to  ascribe  to  their  institutions  a  di- 
vine original,  pretending  that  they  received  them  from 
the  godsi 

I  do  not  mean  to  say,  that  the  doctrines  of  the  phi- 
losophers, particularly ot  Socrates,  and  the  better  sort  of 
Stoicks,  did  no  good.  What  Socrates  taught,  or  rather 
conjectured,  concerning  the  immortality  of  the  soul; 
and  what  both  he  and  the  Stoicks  delivered, though  not 
always  clearly  or  consistently,  with  respect  to  the  divine 
existence,  providence,  omnipresence,  and  omnipo- 
tence, was,  no  doubt,  of  use  in  disr/ipatingsome  of  those 
clouds  of  superstition  and  error,  which  then  oversha- 
dowed the  nations.  But,  as  a  system  of  natural  reli- 
gion and  moral  duty,  all  ancient  philosophy  was  very 
incomplete,  as  Socrates  well  knew  ;  nor  was  it  accom- 
panied with  evidence  or  authoiity  sufficient  to  raise 
the  attention,  or  convince  the  understanding  of  anv, 
except,  perhaps,  of  a  few  speculative  men  :  and  even 
ihey  were  inclined,  as  Lactantius,  Cicero,  and  Aristo* 
tie*  testify,  to  make  it  a  subject  of  declamation  and 
dispute,  and  a  mere  ton^ue'extrcise,  rather  than  a  rule 
of  life.  Indeed,  if  we  believe  -Laertius,  who,  thou'^-h 
neither  an  elegant  nor  a  judicious  writer,  yet  deserves 
praise  as  a  collector  of  anecdotes;  nay,  if  we  believe 
Cicero,  to  v/hose  judgment  more  respect  is  due;  we 
must  also  believe,  that  the  greater  part  of  those,  v»'hom 
antiquity  honoured  with  the  name  of  philosophers, 
were  men  of  loose  principles  and  bad  morals.  Many 
of  them  disgraced  human  reason  by  their  profligate 

*  Lactantius,  iii.   15.    IG.     Cicero,  Tusc.  quacst.  ii.  -J.     /il^r.- 
l^thic.  ii.  13. 


^«  REVELATION  IS  USEFUL 

tenets  and  sophistical  wrangling  ;  and  some  of  theme, 
by  their  impudence,  buffoonery,  and  beastliness  were 
a  disgrace  to  human  nature. 

But,  even  from  the  best  of  them,  what  was  to  be 
expected  in  behalf  of  the  common  people,  that  is,  of 
mankind  ?  Socrates  was  the  most  popular,  and,  in  all 
respects,  the  least  exceptionable  teacher  of  heathen 
morahtVr  He  taught,  that  is,  conversed  in  public  as 
well  as  in  private;  and  all  who  choose  it  were  per- 
mitted to  attend  him.  But  he  never  set  himself  up  as 
a  general  reformer,  nor  did  he  pretend  to  more  wis- 
dom than  other  men.  And,  as  the  charms  of  his  con- 
versation drew  the  chief  men  of  Athens  around  him, 
we  may  presume,  that  the  common  people,  probably 
not  very  curious  to  know  what  he  said,  would  keep 
at  a  distance.  Besides,  his  peculiar  way  of  reasoning, 
by  question  and  answer,  though  as  fair  and  satisfacto- 
ry as  can  be,  is  better  suited  to  the  purpose  of  instruct- 
ing a  small  circle  of  friends,  conversing  familiarly  and 
at  leisure,  than  of  conveying  knowledge  to  the  com- 
mon people. 

About  the  common  people  the  Stoicks  gave  them- 
selves no  trouble,  but  seem  to  have  considered  them 
as  little  better  than  beasts.  Some  of  their  paradoxes 
would  appear,  from  their  extreme  absurdity,  to  have 
been  contrived  on  purpose  to  exclude  the  herd  of  man- 
kind from  the  sublime  mysteries  of  that  philosophy. 
And  many  of  their  tenets  they  wrapt  up  in  strange 
language,  (for  they  were  very  licentious  in  the  use  of 
words  ;)  and  they  so  perplexed  the  human  intellect  by 
frivolous  disputation,  that  their  teaching  could  not  be 
generally  useful;  nay,  even  to  those  men  of  learning 
who  had  made  it  their  duty,  it  must  have  been  in  many 
particulars  unintelligible.  Cicero,  indeed,  in  his  book 
of  moral  duties  explained  the  practical  part  of  their 
moral  philosophy,  in  a  clear  and  elegant  style  ;  andj, 
by  so  doing,  enriched  his  native  tongue  with  the  best 
system  of  Pagan  morality  extant.  Yet  still  it  is  an 
imperfect  system ;  and  for  a  great  part  of  it  he  was 
kidebted,  not  to  the  Stoicks,  whom,  though  he  fol° 


AND  NECESSARY.  S79 

jowed,  be  did  not  follow  as  a  translator,  but  to  Plato, 
Aristotle,  and  his  own  good  sense. 

Though  the  Stoicks  had  been  better  qualified  than 
they  were,  for  the  office  of  public  teachers,  the  people 
would  not  have  greatly  profited  by  what  they  taught. 
That  external  things  are  neither  good  nor  evil ;  and 
that  to  be  stretched  on  a  rack,  or  to  repose  on  a  bed 
of  roses,  are,  to  a  wise  man,  matters  ot  equal  and  ab- 
solute indifference  ;  is  a  tenet  which  the  generality  of 
mankind  could  hardly  believe,  and  which,  if  they  did 
believe  it,  was  more  like  to  do  them  harm  than  good. 
For  from  this  principle  it  would  require  no  profound 
skill  in  logic  (and  the  Stoicks  were  deep  logicians) 
to  infer,  that,  by  robbing  a  wise  man  of  his  money, 
cutting  off  his  leg  or  arm,  stealing  his  child,  or  mur- 
dering his  friend,  they  only  took  that  from  him  on 
which  he  set  no  value.  That  men  ought  to  be  resign- 
ed to  the  divine  will,  but  that,  when  any  thing  vexed 
them,  they  had  an  undoubted  right  to  make  away  with 
themselves,  after  the  example  of  Zeno,  who  in  a  pet 
hanged  himself,  because  he  had  hurt  his  finger*; 
would,  to  a  man  of  plain  sense,  appear  neither  very 
consistent  doctrine,  nor  very  beneficial.  That  the 
Deity  is  superior  to  fate,  and  that  fate  is  superior  to 
the  Deity,  is  not  more  consistent ;  and  that  the  world 
is  God,  or  at  least  his  body  or  substance,  is  an  aphor- 
ism that  throws  no  great  light  on  the  first  principles  ot 
theology.  That  the  soul  is  immortal,  is  affirmed  by 
Seneca;  who  also  affirms  that  death  is  nothing,  and 
reduces  every  thing  to  nothing,  and  that  the  tranquil- 
ity of  the  dead  is  the  same  with  that  of  those  who  are 
not  bornf.  That  at  death  we  return  to  the  elements 
whence  we  came,  and  lose  all  personal  existence  ;  that 
there  is  no  future  punishment  or  reward,  and  that  it  is 
no  matter  whether  there  be  any  or  not ;  are  doctrines 
of  the  same  school,  alike  unfriendly  to  happiness  and 
to  virtue.  That  pity  is  unworthy  of  a  wise  man,  is  a 
strange  lesson  to  inculcate  on  beings  so  frail  as  we  are. 

^  Diogenes  Laertius.     f  Deo  Consolat.  ad  Txlarc.  cap.  19. 


S8G  REVELATION  IS  USEFUL 

who  stand  so  much  in  need  of  the  compassion  and 
kindness  of  one  another  :  yet  this  was  taught  by  the 
followers  of  Zeno.  And  that  human  souls  are  part  of 
the  divine  essence,  and  that  a  man  may  become  equal 
and  in  some  respects  superior  to  the  Deity  : — Is  this 
audacious  and  impious  tenet  likely  to  have  any  other 
effect,  than  to  cherish  pride  and  presumption  so  ex- 
travagant, as  to  harden  the  heart  against  every  amiable 
affection,  and  make  the  understanding  equally  impa- 
tient to  hear,  and  incapable  to  receive,  the  dictates  of 
true  wisdom  o^ 

In  fact,  notwithstanding  the  morals  of  some  of  them 
which  I  am  not  anxious  to  find  fault  with,  and  the 
beauty  of  many  of  their  sentiments,  which  I  readily 
acknovt^ledge,  I  am  in  doubt,  whether,  as  teachers  of 
the  common  people,  they  would  not  have  been  as  blind 
guides,  as  even  the  Epicureans  themselves.  The  doc- 
trines of  the  latter  were  downright  atheism  :  and  those 
of  the  former  plainly  lead  to  it;  as  indeed  every  form 
of  false  pliijosophy  must  do,  that  teaches  men  to  think 
and  speak  irreverently  of  the  Supreme  Being,  and  tQ 
deny  a  future  state  of  retribution.  Of  the  Stoicks^ 
therefore,  Milton,  who  knew  them  well,  spoke  neithei: 
rashly  nor  too  severely,  when  he  said  j 

Alas  l  what  can  they  teach,  and  not  mislead, 
Ignorant  of  themselves,  of  God  much  more  ? 
Much  of  the  soul  they  talk,  but  all  awry  ; 
And  in  themselves  seek  virtue,  and  to  themselve;j 
All  glory  arrogate,  to  God  give  none, 

Paradise  Regained* 

But,  when  the  fullness  of  the  time  was  come,  the 
Teacher  of  the  Poor  did  at  least  appear:  not,  like 
the  Stoic,  proud,  hard-hearted,  and  disputatious ;  but^ 
jike  the  Son  of  God,  meek  and  unaffected,  compas- 
sionate and  lowly,  divinely  benevolent  and  divinely 
wise.  *  Go,'  said  he,  to  two  of  John's  disciples,  who 
had  come  to  ask  whether  he  was  the  Messiah,  '  Go 
^  your  way,  and  tell  John  what  things  ye  have  seen  and 


AND  NECESSARY.  38! 

*  heard;  how  that  the  Wind  see,  the  lame  walk,  the  le- 
*pers  are  cleansed,  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised, 

*  and  good  tidings  are  preached  to  the  poor.'  All  this 
had  been  foretold  by  the  prophet  Isaiah ;  and  in  Jesus 
the  prophecy  was  fulfilled.  And  his  doctrine  was  dis- 
tinguished from  that  of  all  other  teachers,  not  only  by 
its  intrinsic  excellence,  and  by  those  mighty  works  that 
bore  testimony  to  its  truth,  but  alio  by  its  being  in  so 
peculiar  a  manner  addressed  to  the  poor,  and  suited  to 
their  capacity,  and  consequently  to  that  of  all  the  rest  of 
mankind.  His  birth  was  announced,  not  to  the  great 
ones  of  the  earth,  but  to  shepherds.  On  poverty  of 
spirit,  or  lowliness  of  mind,  which  is  indeed  the  foun- 
dation of  the  ChristicUi  character,  he  pronounced  particu- 
lar benediction :  his  servants  he  chose  from  among  the 
poor;  and,  by  the  establishment  of  a  church,  he  pro- 
vided  a  perpetual  succession  of  ministers,  who  should 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor,  and  to  ail  other  ranks  of 
men  to  the  end  of  the  world.  In  consequence  of  this 
most  gracious  dispensation,  the  meanest  of  the  Chris- 
tian people,  if  it  is  not  their  own  fault,  may,  in  all  ordi* 
nary  cases,  learn  juster  notions  of  virtue  and  vice,  of 
God  and  man,  of  Providence  and  a  future  state,  than 
the  most  learned  philosopher  could  ever  attain  in  the 
days  of  paganism.  Can  these  facts  be  denied?  And  in 
him  who  admits  them  is  it  possible  that  any  doubt  should 
remain,  concerning  the  usefulness  of  divine  revelation, 
or  the  infinite  importance  of  that  which  is  brought  to 
light  by  the  gospel? 

Let  not  the  infidel  pretend,  that  human  reason  is 
alone  sufficient  to  discover  the  whole  of  man's  duty, 
and  establish  in  the  world  a  cpmplete  or  comfortable 
system  of  natural  religion.  For  it  is  certain,  that,  even 
in  the  most  polite  nations,  unassisted  reason  never  did 
this,  and,  in  the  opinion  of  Socrates,  never  could.  And 
of  barbarous  nations  it  will  not  be  said,  that  their  reasoii 
ever  made  important  discoveries  of  any  kind.  And 
it  deserves  particular  notice,  that  what  our  infidels  call 
patural  religion  is  in  a  great  measure,  as  Rousseau  him- 
self acknowledges,  derived  from  that  ^'cry  scripture. 


382  REVELATIONT  IS  USEFUL 

which  they  absurdly  and  wickedly  reject.  I  do  not 
mean,  that  their  ideas  on  this  subject  are  acquired  by 
an  actual  perusal  of  holy  writ.  In  this  study  it  is  to  be 
feared,  that  few  or  none  of  them  ever  made  great  profi- 
ciency. Those  ideas  they  derive  from  impressions  made 
on  their  minds  in  infcincy  and  early  youth ;  when,  to- 
gether with  the  humility  and  candour,  it  is  probable 
they  also  had,  what  ever}^  Christian  must  have,  the 
teachableness  of  little  children.  The  writings  too,  and 
the  conversation  of  Christians,  to  which,  in  these  parts 
of  the  world,  they  must  sometimes  attend,  may  convey 
to  them  principles  which  they  admit  as  rational,  though 
perhaps  they  might  be  inclined  to  overlook,  if  they 
knew  them  to  be  scriptural. 

If  revelation  be  so  highly  important,  it  is  most  suit- 
able to  the  wisdom  and  mercy  of  God  to  bestow  it; 
and  some  persons  even  of  the  heathen,  particularly  So- 
crates, were  not  without  hope,  that  one  time  or  other  it 
would  be  bestowed.  So  far  was  that  great  man  from 
asserting  the  sufficiency  of  his  knowledge,  with  re- 
spect either  to  divine  or  to  human  things,  that  though 
by  no  means  a  sceptic,  he  used  through  excess  of  mo- 
desty to  say,  that  he  knew  nothing  but  his  own  igno- 
rance. He  taught,  that  the  gods  grant  extraordinary 
communications  of  wisdom  to  those  to  whom  they  are 
propitious :  and  recommended  it  to  his  friends  to  have 
recourse  to  oracles,  and  other  religious  rites,  in  order  to 
obtain  from  heaven  such  necessary  or  useful  informa- 
tion as  human  reason  was  not  of  itself  able  to  supply.* 
Indeed  the  oracles,  divinations,  and  auguries,  so  much 
attended  to  by  the  pagan  world,  prove,  as  already  hint- 
ed, their  consciousness  of  their  own  ignorance,  and  of 
the  need  that  mankind  have  of  supernatural  illumina- 
tion. 

Of  their  oracles  we  know  little,  and  can  affirm  no- 
thing but  what  partakes  more  or  less  of  conjecture. 
That  they  were  the  contrivance  of  priest-craft,  has  been 
said,  and  may  in  part  be  true.     It  has  also  been  said, 

*  Xenoph.  Memorab.  lib.  1 


AND  NECESSARY.  385 

that  demons  had  a  concern  in  them ;  and  this  no  con- 
siderate person  will  affirm  to  be  impossible.  Perhaps 
they  may  have  been  permitted  by  Providence  to  keep 
up  in  the  minds  of  men  a  sense  of  the  insufficiency  of 
human  reason,  and  to  make  diem  think,  as  Socrates  did, 
that  divine  revelation  was,  at  least,  a  desirable  thing. 
This  is  certain,  that  Socrates  had  fliith  in  them;  thai, 
though  some  of  their  answers  might  easily  be  account- 
ed for,  others  are  rather  extraordinary ;  that  Providence 
did,  for  a  time,  permit  them;  and  that,  soon  after  the 
great  revelation  took  place,  they  became  universally  si- 
lent. These  facts  deserve  the  attention  of  those  who 
reject  the  gospel. 

But,  however  desirable  revelation  may  be,  and  how- 
ever beneficial,  w^e  must  not  have  the  presumption  to 
think  that  the  Deity  is  obliged  to  bestow  it.  For  this 
we  have  no  better  reason  than  to  suppose  that  he  was 
obliged  to  create  man  at  first;  or  that  he  is  under  any 
necessary  determination,  arising  from  the  perfection  of 
his  nature,  to  make  men  archangels,  or  to  make  all  men 
equal  in  rank  or  sagacity.  His  dispensations  of  bene- 
volence and  grace  are  all  gratuitous.  We  have  no- 
thing but  what  we  have  received  from  him,  and  what 
he  might  have  with-held,  w^ithout  any  imputation  on  his 
goodness,  or  any  diminution  of  his  eternal  and  unalter- 
able felicity. 

Nor  is  it  possible  for  us  to  judge  how  far  it  may  be 
consistent  with  the  views  of  his  Providence,  to  make 
this  revelation  universal.  Its  good  eftects  may  be  so, 
though  it  is  not  universally  known  :  for  it  teaches,  that 
persons  wdio  lived  long  before  our  Lord  appeared  on 
earth,  and  who  never  heard  of  his  name,  may  be  sa\  cd 
by  his  merits. 

This  being  admitted,  no  conclusion  unfavourable  to 
Christianity  can  be  drawn  from  the  circumstance  of  its 
being  known  in  some  parts  only  of  the  world,  and  not 
known  till  four  thousand  years  after  the  creation.  For 
if  it  had  been  known  one  thousand,  or  three  thousand 
years  sooner,  a  captious  mind  might  still  ask,  why  it 
was  not  earlier,  and  coeval  with  mankind,  or  at  least  with 


384  REVELATION  IS  USEFUL 

the  fall.  Whatever  concerns  man  must  have  a  begin- 
ning; and  that  Being  who  governs  the  universe,  who 
alone  perfectly  knows  his  own  counselsj  and  who  sees 
at  once  tlie  past,  the  present,  and  the  future,  can  alone 
determine  when  any  particular  dispensation  of  Provi- 
dence ought  to  begin;  how  quick  or  how  slow  it  ought 
to  be  in  its  progress;  and  when  it  is  to  be  completed. 
Many  discoveries,  beneficial  to  mankind,  have  been 
made  in  modern  times.  How  absurd  would  it  be  to  sup- 
pose the  recency  of  a  discovery  an  argument  against 
its  usefulness ;  or  against  the  goodness  of  God  in  giv- 
ing man  the  power  of  making  it  now,  rather  than  at  an 
earlier  period !  Every  thing  here  is  progressive.  If  at 
once,  and  in  the  beginnings  man  had  received  all  the 
good  things  that  a  gracious  Creator  had  destined  for 
him,  this  life  could  not  have  been  a  state  of  probation; 
and  Ave,  having  no  desires  ungratified^  no  faculties  un- 
improved, and  nothing  further  to  hope  or  to  fear,  must 
ha^'c  been  equally  incapable  of  activity  and  happiness. 


CHAPTER  H. 

THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

JL  HE  gospel  history  being  conveyed  to  us  in  writing; 
the  only  possible  way  in  which  it  could  be  safely  con- 
veyed through  the  long  succession  of  seventeen  hun- 
dred years,  its  evidences  must,  in  part,  depend  on  hu- 
man testimony.  In  some  respects,  however,  they  are 
peculiar,  and  differ  from  those  of  other  histories.  No 
circumstance  of  the  life  of  Julius  Caesar;  the  battle  of 
Pharsalia  for  example,  the  destruction  of  the  Nervii,  or 
the  invasion  of  Britain ;  is  alluded  to,  so  far  as  I  know, 
in  any  writing  previous  to  the  birth  of  that  commander : 
but  many  of  the  facts  recorded  in  the  gospel,  though 
seemingly  of  far  less  magnitude,  bear  a  striking  resem- 
blance to  the  events  foretold  by  Jewish  prophets,  who 
lived  several  hundred  vears  before  the  birth  of  Christ. 


THE  Gospel  history  is  true.  asa 


^" 


The  particulars  of  Caesar's  life,  the  speeches  he  made, 
and  the  great  transactions  he  was  engaged  in,  made  no 
material  alteration,  except,  perhaps,  to  the  worse,  in  the 
manners  and  sentiments  of  mankind.  But  the  things 
that  were  done,  and  the  doctrines  tfiat  were  taught,  by 
the  supposed  son  of  a  carpenter  of  Judea,  and  by  some 
fishermen  his  friends,  produced  a  most  important  change 
forthe  better,  in  human  sentiments  and  manners;  achange 
diffused  through  many  nations,  and  of  which  we  at  this 
day  see  and  feel  tiae  consequences. 

The  evidences  of  the  gospel,  therefore,  are  to  be  treat- 
ed somewhat  differently  from  those  of  other  historical 
records.  I  shall  first  consider  it,  merely  as  a  portion  of 
ancient  history.  Secondly,  I  shall  speak  of  it  as  the  ac- 
complishment of  certain  prophecies.  And  I  shall  af- 
terwards inquire,  w^hether  it  may  not  be  further  con- 
firmed, by  the  peculiar  excellency  of  the  knowledge  we 
derive  from  it,  as  well  as  by  the  extraordinary  changes 
introduced  by  it  into  the  system  of  human  affairs. 


SECTION  I. 

The  Gospel  considered  as  a  portion  of  ancient  history^ 

x\Sa  short  preface  to  what  I  have  to  say  on  the  evi- 
dence of  the  gospel,  considered  as  a  portion  of  ancient 
history,  it  may  be  proper  to  set  down  the  follow^inp*  re- 
marks on  testimony. 

It  is  natural  for  man  to  speak  as  he  thinks ;  and  it  is 
easy  too,  like  walking  forw^ard.  One  may  walk  back- 
waixls  or  sideways ;  but  it  is  uneasy,  and  a  sort  of  force 
upon  nature :  and  the  same  thing  is  true  of  speaking 
or  declaring  what  is  contrary  to  one's  belief.  At  least 
this  is  the  general  rule.  Long  practice  in  falsehood, 
or  in  walking  sideways  or  backward,  may,  no  doubt, 
render  it  easy;  but  it  requires  long  practice  to  make 
it  so. 

We  naturally  believe  what  others  tell  us.    We  trust 

VOL.  ir,  3  c 


^ 


86  tHE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE 


the  word  of  a  man  of  whose  honesty  we  have  had  ex- 
perienee;  but  we  also  credit  testimony  previous  to  ex- 
perience :  for  children,  w^ho  have  least  experience,  are 
most  credulous.  It  is  from  having  experienced  the 
dishonesty  of  men,  and  the  motives  that  tempt  them 
to  falsify,  that  we  come  to  distrust,  or  disbelieve  what 
they  say. 

In  general,  when  we  doubt  a  man's  word,  we  have 
always  one  or  other  of  these  four  reasons  for  it :  w^e 
think,  that  what  he  says  is  incredible  or  improbable;  or 
that  there  is  some  temptation  or  motive  which  inclines 
him  in  the  present  case  to  violate  truth;  or  that  he  is 
not  a  competent  judge  of  the  matter  wherein  he  gives 
testimony  ;  or  perhaps,  we  doubt  his  veracity  now,  be- 
cause we  have  known  him  to  be  a  deceiver  formerly.  If 
we  have  no  reason  to  distrust  his  integrity ;  if  we  think 
him  a  competent  judge  of  that  which  he  affirms ;  if 
we  know  of  no  motive  of  vanity  or  interest  that  might 
incline  him  to  falsify ;  and  if  he  affirm  nothing  but 
what  is  credible  and  probable  ;  we  shall  without  scru- 
ple acquiesce  in  his  declaration. 

Our  faith  in  testimony  often  rises  to  absolute  certain- 
ty. That  there  are  such  towns  as  Constantinople  and 
Symrna,  and  such  countries  as  Asia,  Africa,  and  Eu- 
rope ;  that  Caesar  and  Hannibal  were  real  men,  and 
great  commanders,  the  one  a  Roman,  the  other  a  Car- 
thaginian ;  that  William  of  Normandy  conquered  Eng- 
land; and  that  Charles  I.  was  beheaded,  &c. every 

person,  who  knows  any  thing  of  history,  accounts  him- 
self absolutely  certain.  For  the  testimonies  that  confirm 
these,  and  the  like  truths,  are  so  many,  so  various,  and 
so  consistent,  that  we  justly  think  it  impossible  they 
should  be  fictitious. 

When  a  number  of  persons,  not  acting  in  concert, 
having  no  interest  to  conceal  what  is  true,  or  affirm 
w  hat  is  false,  and  competent  judges  of  what  they  testi- 
tify,  concur  in  making  the  same  report,  it  would  be 
thou8:ht  madness  to  disbelieve  them.  Even  when  three, 
or  when  two  witnesses,  separately  examined,  and  ^vha 
feiave  had  no  opportunity  to  contrive  a  plan  before  hand. 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE  3«r 

agree  in  their  declaration,  we  believe  them,  thour^h  vv^e 
have  had  no  experience  of  their  veracity;  because  vvq 
know,  that  in  such  a  case,  their  testimonies  would  not 
be  uniform,  if  they  were  not  true. — In  this  way,  men 
have  judged  in  all  ages;  and  upon  this  principle,  the 
most  important  questions  relating  to  life  and  property 
are  decided:  and  of  such  decisions  and  judgments,  the* 
general  experience  of  mankind  proves  the  utility,  and 
the  rectitude. 

An  impossible  fact,  no  testimony  whatever,  not  even 
that  of  our  own  senses,  would  make  us  belie\  e.  If  1 
were  to  see  the  same  individual  man  double,  or  in  two 
places  at  the  jsame  time,  I  should  certainly  tliiiik, 
not  that  it  was  so,  but  that  something  was  wrong  in  my 
sight,  or  that  the  appearance  might  be  owing  to  some 
peculiarity  in  the  medium  through  which  I  sa^v  it. 
When  a  fact  is  possible,  and  still  more  when  it  is  not 
improbable,  the  testimony  of  a  stranger  would  incline 
us  to  believe,  unless  we  had  reason  to  suspect  him  of  a 
design  to  impose  upon  us. 

Miraculous  facts  are  not  to  be  ranked  with  impossi- 
bilities. There  was  a  time,  \\hen  the  matter  that  com- 
poses my  body  was  as  vpid  of  life,  as  it  will  be  when  it 
shall  ha\  e  lain  twenty  years  in  tlve  gra^^e;  when  the  ele- 
mentary particles,  whereof  my  eye  is  made  up,  could 
no  more  enable  a  percipient  being  to  see,  than  they  can 
now  enable  one  to  speak ;  and  when  that  ^vhieh  forms 
the  substance  of  this  hand  was  as  inert  as  a  stone.  Yet 
now,  by  the  goodness  of  the  Creator,  the  first  lives,  the 
last  moves,  and  by  means  of  the  second  I  perceive  light 
and  colours.  And  if  Almighty  power  can  bring  about 
ail  this  gmduallv,  by  one  particular  succession  of 
causes  and  effects,  may  not  the  same  power  perform  it 
in  an  instant,  and  by  the  operation  of  other  Oiiuses  to  us 
unknown?  Or  will  the  atheist  say  (and  none  who  be- 
lieves in  God  can  doubt  the  possibility  of  miracles)  that 
he  himself  knows  every  possible  cause  that  can  ope- 
rate  in  the  production  of  any  affect?  Or  is  he  certain 
that  there  is  no  such  thins;  in  the  univers<j  as  Almiirhtv 
power? 


388  THE  GOSl^EL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

To  raise  a  dead  man  to  life;  to  cure  blindness  with  a 
touch ;  to  remove  lameness,  or  any  other  bodily  imper- 
fection, by  speaking  a  word,  are  all  miracles  ;  but  must 
all  be  as  easy  to  the  author  of  nature,  or  to  any  person 
commissioned  by  him  for  that  purpose,  as  to  give  life 
to  an  embryo,  make  the  eye  an  organ  of  sight,  or  cause 
vegetables  to  revive  in  the  spring.  And  therefore,  if  a 
person,  declaring  himself  to  be  sent  from  God,  or  in- 
vested with  divine  power,  and  saying  and  doing  what 
is  worthy  of  such  a  commission,  should  perform  mira- 
cles like  these,  mankind  would  have  the  best  reason  to 
believe,  that  his  authority  Avas  really  from  heaven. 

As  the  common  people  have  neither  time  nor  capa- 
pacity  for  deep  reasoning ;  and  as  a  divine  revelation  of 
religion  must  be  intended  for  all  sorts  of  men,  the  vul- 
gar as  well  as  the  learned,  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich ;  it 
is  necessary,  that  the  evidence  of  such  a  revelation 
should  be  of  that  kind  which  may  command  general  at- 
tention, and  convince  men  of  all  ranks  and  characters, 
and  should  therefore  be  level  to  every  capacity.  It 
would  be  easy,  no  doubt,  for  the  Deity  to  convey  his 
truths  immediately  to  every  man  by  inspiration,  so  as  to 
make  inquiry  unnecessary,  and  doubt  impossible.  But 
this  would  not  be  consistent  with  man's  free  agency  and 
moral  probation ;  and  this  would  be  very  unlike  every 
other  dispensation  of  Providence  w  ith  respect  to  man, 
who^  as  he  is  endowed  with  rational  faculties,  feels  that 
he  is  under  an  obligation  to  use  and  improve  them.  This 
would  be  to  make  him  love  religion,  and  believe  in  it, 
without  leaving  it  in  his  power  to  do  otherwise :  and 
such  faith,  and  such  love,  would  be  no  mark  of  either  a 
good  disposition  or  a  bad,' — ^Now,  there  is  no  kind  of 
evidence,  consistent  with  our  moral  probation  and  free 
agency,  that  is  likely  to  commmid  universal  attention, 
and  carry  full  conviction  in  religious  matters  to  men  of 
all  ranks  and  crtpacities,  except  the  evidence  arising  from 
miracles,  or  supernatural  events. 

One  author  has  indeed  afRrmed,  that  miracles  can  be 
BO  evidence  of  any  doctrine;  because  no  testimony 
whatever  can,  in  his  opinion,  render  a  miracle  credible. 


T-HE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  58l> 

even  in  the  lowest  degree.  But  I  need  not  quit  the  tract 
of  my  argument,  for  the  sake  of  a  paradox,  so  contrary 
to  the  natural  dictates  of  rationality,  and  which  has  been 
unanswerably  confuted  by  Dr.  Campbell  in  his  Disser- 
tation on  Miracles,  In  fact,  every  event  admits  of  proof 
from  human  testimony,  which  it  is  possible  for  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  competent  witnesses  to  see  and  to  hear. 

Some  things  may  seem  to  be  supernatural,  which  are 
really  not  so:  such  are  the  tricks  of  the  juggler;  where- 
of, when  we  are  told  the  contrivance,  we  are  surprised 
to  find  it  so  easy,  and  almost  ashamed  of  having  ever 
wondered  at  it.  Some  other  things  appear  supernatu- 
ral to  those  only  who  are  ignorant  of  their  causes:  and 
such  as  many  facts  in  electricity,  magnetism,  and  other 
parts  of  experimental  philosophy. 

But  the  mighty  works  of  our  Saviour  are  quite  of 
a  different  kind.  To  raise  the  dead  to  life,  to  cure  the 
most  violent  disease  by  speaking  a  word,  to  w  aik  on  the 
surface  of  a  stormy  sea:-— these,  and  many  other  things 
recorded  in  the  gospel,  are  truly  miraculous;  and  such 
as,  to  human  apprehension,  that  powder  only  can  per- 
form, which,  having  established  the  course  of  nature 
is  alone  able  to  change  it. 

Of  this  sort  of  miracles  tlie  author  of  our  religion 
not  only  wrought  many,  but  also  imparted  to  his  apos- 
tles the  power  of  doing  the  same.  And,  what  was  still 
more  wonderful,  if  any  thing  could  be  more  so,  he  him- 
self, after  having  been  crucified,  in  the  presence  of  a 
great  multitude,  and  pierced  with  a  lance,  and  found  to 
be  dead,  and  after  lying  part  of  diree  days  in  the  grave, 
arose  to  life,  reanimated  that  body  which  had  been  man- 
gled on  the  cross,  passed  forty  days  on  earth  after  his 
resurrection,  during  which  time  he  frequently  convers- 
ed with  his  disciples,  and  at  last,  in  open  day,  and  while 
he  was  speaking  to  them,  visibly  ascended  from  the  earth 
till  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight.  These  mi- 
racles transcend  all  power  but  what  is  divine.  So  that, 
if  we  admit  the  gospel  history  to  be  true,  wc  must  be- 
Jieve,  be)  ond  a  possibility  of  doubt,  that  our  Lord  was, 
ivhat  he  declared  himself  to  be,  a  person  invested  with 


390  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

divine  j)ower,  and  employed  in  a  divine  mission.  The 
truth  of  the  history  maybe  proved  from  many  consid- 
erations. 

It  might  be  proved  from  the  existence,  and  singular 
nature  of  the  religion  of  Jesus.  On  the  supposition  that 
the  gospel  is  true,  the  peculiar  character  of  thiB  religion, 
its.  present  state,  and  the  various  revolutions  it  has  un- 
dergone, may  be  easily  accounted  for  ;  on  the  contrary 
supposition,  nothing  in  the  whole  compass  of  human 
ailairs  is  more  unaccountable,  than  the  rise  and  progress 
of  Christianity.  Its  history  may  be  traced  from  the 
present  age  up  to  that  of  the  apostles.  Since  that  pe- 
riod, down  to  these  times,  so  many  writers  speak  of 
this  gospel,  and  concur  in  so  many  particulars  concern- 
ing it,  that  there  is  not,  perhaps  any  other  ancient  re- 
cord, for  whose  authenticity  so  many  vouchers  could 
be  produced.  And  we  knov/  for  certain,  that  many 
intelligent  persons  of  the  primitive  church,  who  had 
the  best  opportunities  of  knowing  the  truth  of  this  mat- 
ter, and  whose  supreme  concern  it  was  to  inquire  into 
it,  and  not  suffer  themselves  to  be  mistaken,  believed 
and  asserted  the  truth  of  the  gospel  and  suffered  death 
in  coniirniation  of  their  faith  and  testimony.  Can  any 
thing  like  this  be  urged  in  favour  of  Xenophon,  Sallust, 
or  Tacitus ;  whose  authority,  notwithstanding  the  world 
is  not  much  inclined,  and  in  general,  has  no  great  rea- 
son to  call  in  questi<?n  ? 

Had  the  evangelists  written  the  history,  and  the  apos- 
tles preached  the  doctrines,  of  a  man  who  lived  before 
they  were  born,  or  w^hom  neither  they  nor  their  con- 
temporaries had  ever  seen,  their  testimony  ^vould  not 
perhaps,  Ivdvc  been  above  suspicion.  But  I  shall  not 
misrepresent  the  circumstances,  or  the  conduct  of  those 
extraordinary  teachers,  if  I  suppose  them  to  have  ad- 
dressed their  countrymen  the  Jews,  who  were  the  first 
hearers  of  the  gospel,  in  \\'ords  like  these  :  *  We  tell 
*  you  of  this  man,  our  divine  m.aster,  many  things 
'  which  ye  yourselves  know  to  be  true  ;  and  nothing, 
'  in  regard  to  which  ye  may  not,  if  ye  candidly  inquire, 
*^  satisly  yourselves  by  the  testimony  of  creditable  wit^ 


THE  GOSPEL  HIS'lORY  IS  TKUii.  J9l 

'  ncsscs',  who  heard  and  saw  what  we  affirm.  From  pcr- 
^  sisting  in  falsehood  we  have  nothing  to  hope  ;  and  yc 
*  in  detecting  it,  can  have  nothing  to  fear.  The  power 
'  of  the  state  is  in  your  hands  :  exert  yourselves  to  the 
'  utmost :  and  confute  us  if  ye  can.'  Suppose  an  ad- 
dress  of  this  kind  to  be  made  to  the  French  nation,  con- 
cerning a  history  of  certain  well  known  events  that  had 
happened  in  France  ;  and  suppose  the  only  answer  re- 
turned by  public  authority  to  be  as  follows :  *  On  the 
'  subject  ye  mention,  we  command  you  and  }'our  ad- 
^  herents  to  be  silent  on  jTain  of  death  :' — of  which  party 
let  me  ask,  would  the  world  jvidge  most  favourably  ? 
Would  it  not  be  said,  that  nothing  could  be  more  fair, 
than  what  is  declared  on  the  one  side  ;  and  that  on  the 
other  there  at  once  appeared  invincible  prejudice,  and 
implacable  malignity  ? 

But  what  motives  could  those  Jews  have  to  wish  the 
gospel  might  be  false,  and  to  shut  their  eyes  against 
the  light  with  so  much  obstinacy  and  perseverance  ? 
Motives  they  had  of  the  most  cogent  nature  ;  motives, 
which  among  any  people  it  might  be  difficult  to  prevail 
against,  but  which,  from  the  inherent  pcrverseness  of 
the  Jewish  nation,  conld  hardly  fail  to  derive  insur- 
mountable strenG:th. 

For  first,  if  the  Jewish  rulers,  after  the  death  of  our 
Lord,  had  acknowledged  him  to  be  the  Messiah,  they 
must  also  have  acknowledged  themselves  the  perpetra- 
tors of  the  most  dreadful  crime  that  ever  disgraced  a 
nation ;  and  from  rulers  so  haughty,  a  confession  so 
humiliating,  could  hardly  be  looked  for.  Nor,  secondly, 
was  it  to  be  expected,  that  they  could  bear  to  think  oi" 
the  abrogation  of  the  law  of  Moses,  which  had  subsided 
so  long  ;  which  did  so  much  honour  to  their  nation, 
temple  and  capital  city  ;  which  taught  them  to  consider 
tliemselves  as  God's  peculiar  people  ;  and  from  which 
their  priests,  scribes,  and  elders,  who,  we  find,  were 
the  most  inveterate  enemies  of  the  new  religion,  deriv- 
ed so  many  dignities  and  emoluments. 

They  might  also,  thirdly,  from  many  political  con- 
siderations, be  unwilling  to  receive  the  gospel,  and  in- 


a92  THE  GOSPIiL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

clined  to  look  on  the  men  ^vho  taught  it  as  the  enemies 
of  their  country,  For,  if  the  Messiah  was  now  come, 
then  all  their  flattering  hopes  of  a  glorious  conqueror, 
who  should  rescue  them  from  the  Roman  yoke,  and 
exalt  them  above  all  nations,  were  at  an  end  for  ever. 
And  then  they  might  be  apprehensive,  that  the  Romans, 
some  of  whom,  as  we  learn  from  Tacitus  and  Sueto- 
nius, knew  that  a  triumphant  deliverer  from  Judea  was 
about  this  time  expected,  would  be  emboldened,  on 
hearing  that  Rome  had  now  nothing  to  fear  from  that 
quarter,  to  oppress  them  more  rigorously,  and  even 
*•  to  take  away'  (as  they  themselves  emphatically  ex- 
pressed it)  *  their  place  and  nation*.'  Whether  the 
Romans  were  in  any  degree  intimidated  by  what  they 
had  heard  of  the  Jewish  prophecies  concerning  the  Mes- 
siah, is  not  known  :  but  that  they  might  be  so,  and  had 
reason  to  be  so,  it  was  natural  enough,  for  a  Jew  to  sup- 
pose ;  especially  if  he  knew,  as  he  probably  w^ould 
know,  that  on  the  subject  of  prophecy  the  Romans  were 
not  a  little  superstitious.  How  much  Herod  dreaded 
the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  appears  from  his  murder 
of  the  innocents  :  an  event,  which  must  have  been  well 
known  at  Rome  ;  if  it  be  true,  as  Macrobius  relates, 
that  Augustus  on  hearing  of  it,  and  that  one  of  Herod's 
sons  had  suffered  in  the  massacre,  facetiously  observed 
that  it  was  better  to  be  the  swine  than  the  son  of  Herod. 
Some  however  suppose,  on  the  authority  of  Josephus, 
that  Herod  had  not  then  a  son  under  two  years  of  age  ; 
and  that  the  em.peror's  sarcasm  was  more  probably  oc- 
casioned by  Herod's  cruelty  in  putting  to  death  Aristo- 
bulus  and  Alexander  his  two  sons,  by  Mariamne,  and 
his  son  Antipater,  for  an  alledged  conspiracy  against  his 
father's  life.  But  this  is  of  little  importance  in  the  pre- 
sent argument. 

In  a  word  ;  if  it  be  in  the  power  of  prejudice,  of  pride, 
of  ambition,  of  religious  zeal  or  of  national  partiality, 
to  make  men  averse  to  the  reception  of  any  system  of 
opinions,  we  need  not  wonder  at  the  obstinacy  of  the 

*  See  John  xi.  48. 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  393 

« 

Jewish  rulers.  Their  passions,  generally  violent,  were 
all  in  arms,  and  in  the  highest  degree  exasperated, 
against  Christ  and  his  religion.  That  so  many  of  that 
nation  should  have  been  his  disciples,  is  therefore  more 
wonderful  than  that  so  many  should  have  opposed 
him.  In  modern  times  it  cannot  apparently  be  the 
interest  of  any,  hardened  sinners  excepted,  that  the 
gospel  should  not  be  true.  Yet  even  in  these  days, 
and  in  the  most  enhghtened  nations  a  spirit  of  opposi- 
tion to  the  gospel,  and  a  want  of  candour  with  regard 
to  its  doctrines  and  evidence,  are  by  no  means  uncom- 
mon. 

If  such  was  the  temper  of  the  Jewish  rulers;  and 
if  we  may  warrantly  suspect  them  to  have  been  as  ca- 
pable of  falsehood,  as  they  certainly  were  of  injustice 
and  cruelty  ;  is  it  not  strange,  that  the  events  recorded 
in  the  gospel  were  not  denied  by  any  contemporary 
authority  ?  Yet  this  is  the  fact :  for  such  authorities, 
if  they  had  ever  appeared,  must  have  been  preserved, 
and  argued  from  by  the  enemies  of  the  gospel,  and  re- 
plied to  in  the  writings  of  Christians.  And  how  is 
this  fact  to  be  accounted  for  ?  Jn  no  other  way,  I  pre- 
sume, than  by  supposing,  that  in  Judea  the  particu- 
lars of  our  Saviour's  life  were  so  well  known,  that  no 
contradictory  record  could  have  obtained  credit. — 
And  to  publish  such  a  thing,  without  being  able  to 
make  the  nation  believe  it,  would  have  been  an  injury 
to  their  own  cause.  Their  best  policy  therefore  was, 
to  keep  up  the  passions  and  prejudices  of  the  people, 
to  encourage  a  spirit  of  persecution,  to  confine  them- 
selves to  violent  and  general  assertions,  and  to  avoid 
and  discountenance  minute  inquiry.  The  truth  is, 
that  the  ancient  unbelievers  never  denied  the  miracles 
of  Jesus;  they  imputed  them  to  magick,  or  the  power 
of  the  devil :  a  doctrine,  which  our  Lord  himself 
condescended  to  refute  ;  and  of  which  the  modern  in- 
fidel, as  no-body  now  believes  in  magic,  will  not  seek 
to  avail  himself. 

But  prejudice  and  passion  subside  at  last,  and  leave 
the  mind  at  leisure  for  calm  investii^ation.  If  then  the 

VOL.  11.  3  o 


394  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  IRUE. 

particulars  of  our  Saviour's  life  had  been  as  well  known 
as  is  here  supposed,  must  not  the  Jews,  when  the  pre- 
sent ferment  was  over,  have  come  to  their  senses,  and 
acknowledged  the  truth  ?  That  many  of  them  did  so, 
is  certain.  But  from  other  histories,  as  well  as  that 
of  the  Jews,  we  learn,  that  when  the  passions  of  men 
are  thoroughly  inflamed,  by  matters  of  great  and  gen- 
eral concern,  it  may  require  the  operation  of  years  to 
cool  them.  And  let  it  be  observed,  that  the  Jews 
had  not  now  much  time  left  for  reflection  and  leisure. 
The  generation  that  put  our  Lord  to  death  had  not 
passed  away,  when  the  troubles  of  Judea  began  ;  and 
in  less  than  forty  years  after  the  crucifixion,  Jerusalem 
was  levelled  with  the  ground,  the  greater  part  of  the 
nation  exterminated,  and  the  rest  scattered  abroad 
throughout  the  Roman  empire. 

But,  if  their  rulers  w^ere  as  much  exasperated  against 
the  new  religion,  as  has  been  supposed,  why,  it  may 
be  asked,  did  they  not  destroy  it  at  once,  by  putting  all 
the  apostles  to  death  ?  Stephen  indeed  they  stoned  in  a 
transport  of  fury,  and  Herod  murdered  James  the  bro- 
ther of  John :  but  Peter,  and  Paul,  and  others,  were 
permitted  to  live ;  and  in  a  little  time  we  find  there  was 
a  church  in  Jerusalem,  and  another  in  Antioch.  How 
is  this  to  be  reconciled  with  what  is  said  above  of  the 
extreme  obstinacy  and  violence  of  the  Jewish  rulers  ? 

It  may  be  answered,  that  these  things  were  so  or- 
dered by  an  over-ruling  Providence,  who  having  de-' 
termined  that  the  religion  of  Christ  should  not  be  de- 
stroyed, miraculously  interposed  for  a  time  in  the  pre- 
servation of  his  ministers.  If  this  answer  be  deemed 
insufficient,  the  following  considerations  are  submitted 
to  the  reader. 

First  j  the  Jews  could  have  no  reason  to  hope,  that 
bv  putting  to  death  all  the  apostles,  or  all  the  Chris- 
tians, that  came  in  their  way,  they  should  annihilate 
Christianity:  there  might  be  others  whom  they  had 
never  heard  of;  for  our  Saviour,  during  his  abode  on 
earth,  had  many  disciples;  five  hundred  are  mentioned 
by  St.  Paul  as  witnesses  of  his  resurrection  >  and  on 


THE  GOSPEL  IIISTCmY  IS  TRUE.  595 

the  day  of  Pentecost  three  thousand  were  converted, 
and  five  thousand  a  few  days  after. — Secondly  ;  Peter 
and  Paul,  though  for  a  time  permitted  to  live,  did  not 
live  in  peace,  but  underwent  cruel  persecution  ;  and 
the  former,  if  he  had  not  by  miracle  escaped,  would 
have  been  murdered  by  Ilerod,  as  James  was: — Third- 
ly ;  Several  of  the  apostles,  soon  after  the  descent  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  left  Jerusalem,  and  went  to  preach 
elsewhere. — Fourthly;  It  may  be  presumed  that  the 
Christians  of  that  age  were  quiet  and  inoffensive  ;  we 
know  indeed  tor  certain  that  they  were  so ;  and  the 
rulers  might  be  afraid  to  declare  open  war  against  them 
as  not  knowing  how  numerous  they  might  be  ;  and 
dreading  also,  if  they  should  drive  matters  to  extremi- 
ty, the  effects  ot  that  influence,  which  the  apostles  from 
time  to  time  acquired  among  the  common  people. — 
The  most  oppressive  tyrants,  even  when  armed  with 
absolute  authoritv,  are  not  without  fears  of  this  kind  : 
how  much  more  timorous  must  a  tyrannical  aristocracy 
have  been,  that  was  destitute  of  mutual  confidence, 
and  over-aw^ed  by  the  Roman  power  I 

To  which  I  may  add,  fifthly,  That  the  advice  given 
by  Gamaliel  in  the  council,  '  Refrain  from  these  men, 

*  and  let  them  alone:  {for  if  this  counsel  or  this  work 

*  be  of  men,  it  will  come  to  noujjht :  but  if  k  be  ot 

*  God,  ye  cannot  overthrow  it ;)   lest  haply  ye  be  found 

*  even  to  fight  against  God  :  I  say,  this  advice  had 
great  weight  with  them  ;  which  indeed  it  deserved  to 
have,  as  a  better  could  not  have  been  oriven.  The  event 
has  proved,  that  Gamaliel  was  a  wise  as  well  as  a  pious 
man  :  and  what  was  thus  so  seasonably  spoken  to  the 
first  enemies  of  the  gospel,  may  with  equal  propriety, 
be  addressed  to  them  who  oppose  it  in  these  latter  dayb. 

In  ancient  writings,  as  there  is  nothing  to  invalidate 
the  gospel  history,  so  there  are  several  testimonies  to 
confirm  it.  I'hat  Christ  suffered  under  Pontius  Pilate, 
and  was  the  founder  of  the  sect  of  Christians  is  attested 
by  Tacitus,  and  admitted,  I  think,  by  all  writers  on 
the  subject.     Facts  recorded  in  the  New-Testameutj 


3«6  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

concerning  Herod,  Pilate,  Festus,  and  Felix,  are  men- 
tioned by  J  osepbus,and  in  the  Jewish  Talmud.  And  the 
new  star  that  shone  on  the  nativity,  the  earthquake  and 
preternatural  darkness  that  accompanied  the  crucifix- 
ion, and  the  massacre  of  the  innocents  by  Herod,  are 
with  some  reason  supposed  to  have  been  mentioned  by 
Pagan  authors,  as  well  as  by  the  evangelists*.  This, 
however,  is  not  affirmed  as  certain;  nor  does  any  ma- 
terial part  of  the  evidence  depend  upon  it. 

It  is  true,  that  the  Roman  writers  of  that  time,  both 
historians  and  philosophers,  seem  to  have  been  very 
ignorant  of  our  Saviour*s  history  and  doctrine,  and  to 
have  had  no  curiosity  to  know  either.  Is  this  wonder- 
ful? It  will  not  appear  so  to  him  who  considers  the 
distance  of  Judea  from  Rome,  and  the  state  of  navi- 
gation in  those  days  ;  the  contemptuous  opinion  which 
the  Romans,  the  masters  of  the  world  entertained, 
both  of  the  national  character,  and  the  religion  of  the 
Jews;  the  proud  spirit  of  the  heathen  philosophy,  so 
direptly  repugnant  to  that  humble  and  docile  disposi- 
tion, which  is  required  of  every  disciple  of  Christ: 
the  extreme  dissimilitude  between  a  practical  religion, 
whose  sole  aim  is  to  purify  the  soul,  and  prepare  it  for 
heaven,  and  a  philosophy  framed  chiefly  for  the  pur- 
pose of-  dispute  and  rhetorical  declamation ;  the  mean 
condition,  and  unassuming  manners,  of  the  publish- 
ers of  the  gospel,  so  unlike  the  pomp  and  pedantry  of 
the  Epicureans  and  the  Stoicks :  and  above  all,  per- 
haps, that  crucifixion,  which  the  author  of  Christian- 
ity was  known  to  have  undergone,  and  which  his  fol- 
lowers avowed  and  gloried  in;  but  which,  according 
to  the  modes  of  thinking  that  then  universally  prevail- 
ed through  all  the  rest  of  the  Roman  empire,  as  well 
as  in  Judea,  was  a  death  of  so  much  ignominy,  that 
no  person  was  thought  likely  to  suffer  it,  who  had,  or 
deserved  to  have,  any  reputation  in  the  world.  He 
who  considers  these  things;  and  who  knows  the  state 

*  See  Grotius  de  ver.  rel.  Christ,  lib.  III.  I4.  and  Macrob,  Sat 
lib.  II.  4c 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  Q97 

of  learning  at  that  time,  the  characters  of  those  who 
were  reputed  learned,  and  the  real  nature  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  may,  indeed,  wonder  to  hear  that  so  ma- 
ny were  converted  to  the  faith;  but  will  not  wonder 
to  find,  that  neither  Seneca  nor  Epictetus,  the  elder 
nor  the  younger  Pliny,  Tacitus  nor  Marcus  Aurelius 
were  amon^  the  number.  See  this  matter  illustrated, 
with  great  precision  and  elegance,  in  the  fourth  chap- 
ter of  Disquisitions  (by  Sir  David  Dalrymple)  concern- 
ing the  antiquities  of  the  Christian  church*. 

Some  of  the  first  Christians,  whose  writings  are  still 
extantj  speak  of  the  gospels  as  the  work  of  those  evan- 
gelists whose  name  they  bear.  And  they  had  good  op- 
portunities of  information  in  this  particular,  as  well  as 
of  comparing  the  gospel  history  with  the  most  authen- 
tic traditions  concerning  the  persons  and  events  there- 
in recorded:  Origen,  who  was  born  in  the  second  cen- 
tury, being  contemporary  with  Ireneus,  who  was  the 
disciple  of  Polycarp,  who  had  been  the  disciple  of  the 
apostle  John,  and  personally  acquainted  with  others  of 
the  early  Christians.  Is  it  to  be  imagined,  that  those 
tnen  would  not  be  inquisitive  about  the  truth  of  a  re- 
ligion, for  which  they  had  ground  to  believe,  that  they 
were  likely  to  suffer  persecution  and  martyrdom  ?  Jf 
we  suppose  ourselves  in  their  situation,  with  the  same 
alarming  view  before  us,  and  with  the  same  means  of 
knowledge  they  had,  we  shall  see  that  it  is  not  possi- 
ble for  a  man  of  common  understanding  to  do,  and  to 
suflfer  what  they  did  and  sufl^ered,  unless  he  firmly  be- 
lieve the  doctrine  he  maintains,  and  know  that  he  has 
good  reason  to  believe  it. 

To  all  this  we  may  add,  that  the  Epistles,  which  are 
of  the  same  age  with  the  historical  part  of  the  New- 
Testament,  appear  evidently  to  have  been  written  by 
men  who  were  in  earnest  in  what  they  wrote,  and  to 
be  adapted  to  real  occurrences  and  circumstances  of 
the  times. 

The  style,  too,  of  the  gospel  bears  intrinsic  evidence 

*  See  also  Bishop  Porteus's  sermons,  ser.  x. 


398  THE  GOSPEL  lllSTORY  IS  TRUi.. 

of  Its  truth.  We  find  here  no  appearance  of  artifice 
or  of  party-spirit;  no  attempts  to  exaggerate  on  the 
one  hand,  or  depreciate  on  the  other;  no  remarks 
thrown  in  to  anticipate  objections ;  nothing  of  that 
caution,  which  never  fails  to  distinguish  the  testimony 
of  those  who  are  conscious  of  imposture;  no  endea- 
vour to  reconcile  the  reader's  mind  to  what  may  be  ex- 
traordinary in  the  narrative:  all  is  fair,  candid,  and 
simple;  the  historians  make  no  reflections  of  their  own, 
but  confine  themselves  to  matter  of  fact,  that  is,  to 
what  they  heard  and  saw ;  and  honestly  record  their 
own  mistakes  and  faults,  as  well  as  the  other  particu- 
lars of  the  storv. 

For  a  more  full  display  of  some  of  these  arguments, 
as  well  as  for  other  things  that  might  be  mentioned  on 
this  head,  the  reader,  till  he  have  leisure  to  peruse  more 
volumnious  writings,  may  consult  Addison's  short,  but 
elegant  Treatise  of  the  Christian  religion.  Whence  it 
will  appear,  that  the  gospel  history  is,  at  least,  as  well 
vouched  as  any  other  of  that  time;  and  that  w^e  have 
as  good  reason  to  believe  what  the  New-Testament  re- 
cords of  the  birth,  life,  miracles,  death,  and  doctrine 
of  Christ,  as  to  believe  the  battle  of  Cannae,  the  as- 
sassination of  Julius  Caesar,  or  any  other  ancient  fact. 
Nay,  we  have  still  extant  among  us  two  visible  proofs, 
not  hitherto  mentioned,  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  I 
mean  the  two  Sacraments ;  wdiich  are  known  to  have 
been  in  the  Christian  church  from  the  beginning,  and 
the  origin  of  which  it  would  not  be  easy  to  account 
for,  on  the  supposition  that  the  gospel  is  not  true.  These 
institutions,  beside  other  excellent  purposes  which 
they  serve,  will  continue  to  bear  testimony  to  the  truth 
of  our  religion,  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

If  it  be  said,  that  the  apostles  might  have  invented 
what  they  record  of  these  institutions,  as  well  as  other 
particulars  ot  the  history ;  I  shall  only  answer  at  pre- 
sent, (for  their  veracity  will  be  considered  hereafter) 
that  two  simple  rites,  which  can  afford  no  gratification 
to  avarice,  ambition,  or  sensuality,  and  whose  chief 
end  is  to  promote  humility,  piety,  and  purity  of  heart;; 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  399 

could  hardly  have  been  the  contrivance  of  men,  who 
had  determined,  as  those  who  reject  their  testimony 
must  believe,  to  live  and  die  impostors  and  hypocrites. 
For  the  institution  of  these  rites  is  a  matter  in  whicii 
they  could  not  have  been  imposed  on.  They  could 
not  have  fancied,  that  they  had  received  a  commission 
to  baptize  the  nations,  if  they  had  received  no  such 
commission:  they  could  not  have  believed  that  they 
were  present  at  the  celebration  of  the  first  supper,  if 
they  had  not  been  present. 

But  are  not  those  parts  of  the  Roman  story,  above 
alluded  to,  more  probable  in  themselves,  than  the  gos- 
pel history?  are  not  the  former  agreeable  to  the  com- 
mon course  of  human  affairs :  and  is  not  the  latter  a 
recital  of  events,  whereof  many  are  extraordinary, 
and  unlike  any  thing  we  have  ever  seen  ?  Permit  me 
to  ask  in  return,  whether  if  mankind  were  told,  and 
prevailed  on  to  believe,  that  a  revelation  of  the  Di- 
vine will  was  to  be  made  from  heaven,  it  would  not 
be  natural  for  them  to  expect  something  extraordinary? 
Would  they  not  have  reason  to  say,  *  God's  thoughts 

*  are  not  our  thoughts,  neither  are  our  ways  his  ways? 
'  As  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  his 

*  ways  higher  than  our  ways,  and  his  thoughts  than  our 

*  thoughts.  This  revelation,  being  a  supernatural  thing, 

*  will  probably,  nay,  must  certainly,  be  attended  with 
'  supernatural  circumstances.'  In  fact,  the  gospel  his- 
tory, considered  as  the  account  of  a  divine  revelation, 
is  not  less  probable,  than  the  Roman  story  considered 
as  a  narrative  of  the  works  of  men.  From  what  we 
know  of  the  weakness,  wickedness,  and  other  pecu- 
liarities of  the  human  character,  we  admit  the  proba- 
bility of  what  is  recorded  concerning  Hannibal  and 
Caesar :  and  from  what  we  know,  with  equal  certainty, 
of  the  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness  of  God,  we  ad- 
mit the  probability  of  the  sacred  history.  To  our  bo- 
dily eyes  the  Divine  Essence,  and  the  human  soul  arc 
equally  invisible:  the  nature  of  both  we  discover  in 
fheir  works;  from  which  it  is  not  more  evident,  that 


4Q0  THE  pOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

man  is  wicked  and  weak,  than  that  God  is  wise,  al- 
mighty, and  good. 

Had  there  been  nothing  extraordinary  in  the  life  and 
doctrine  of  Jesus,  it  would  have  supplied  an  argument 
of  no  little  weight  against  his  divine  mission.  This 
man,  it  might  have  been  objected,  gives  out,  that  he 
is  sent  of  God,  tliat  he  speaks  by  inspiration,  and  that 
his  works  are  the  works  of  divine  power.  And  yet 
he  does  and  says  nothing  but  what  an  ordinary  man 
might  say  and  do;  nor  has  any  thing  ever  happened 
to  him  beyond  the  common  occurrences  of  life.  Why 
then  should  we  believe,  that  either  his  wisdom  or  his 
power  is  superior  to  that  of  other  men  ?  To  this  ob- 
jection, had  it  been  founded  in  fact,  it  would  not,  I  ap- 
prehend have  been  easy  to  frame  an  answer.  The  su- 
pernatural events,  therefore,  recorded  in  the  gospel, 
unless  they  could  be  proved  to  be  either  unworthy  of 
God,  or  impossible  to  themselves,  (which  no  person 
will  ever  affirm  who  knows  what  they  are,)  will  be 
found  to  add  to  its  credibility ,  and  that  in  the  same 
proportion  nearly,  in  which  supernatural  events,  relat- 
ed of  an  ordinary  man,  would  take  away  from  the  cre- 
dit of  the  historian  who  should  relate  them. 

The  probability,  that  the  gospel  may  be  true,  is  also 
inferred  from  the  utter  improbability  it  should  be  false. 
Itis,aswill  bemore  particularly  remarked  inthesequel, 
like  nothing  of  human  contrivance.  The  perfection 
of  its  morality  transcends  the  best  efforts  of  human 
wisdom:  the  character  of  its  Founder  is  far  superior 
to  that  of  a  mere  man:  and  it  will  not  be  said,  that 
his  apostles  can  be  compared  to  any  other  fishermen, 
or  any  other  teachers,  that  ever  were  heard  of.  The 
views,  displayed  in  the  gospel,  of  the  divine  dispensa- 
tions with  respect  to  the  human  race,  are  such  as,  be- 
fore the  commencement  of  our  Saviour's  ministry, had 
never  entered  into  the  mind  of  man.  To  believe  all 
this  to  be  a  mere  human  fable,  requires  a  degree  ot  cre- 
dulity, which,  in  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life,  would  do 
a  man  little  credit:  it  is  like  believing,  that  a  first-rate 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  40t 

ship  of  war  might  have  been  the  t\'ork  and  the  inven- 
tion of  a  child. 

Had  the  apostles  intended  an  imposture,  there  would 
not  have  been  so  many  of  them.  Of  twelve  persons 
employed  in  promulgating  a  fable,  and  wandering  with 
that  purpose  into  different  parts  of  the  earth,  it  is  not 
to  be  expected  that,  in  defiance  of  persecution  and 
death,  all  would,  to  the  end,  persevere  in  the  same  de- 
claration. But  all  the  apostles  did  persevere.  One  in- 
deed was  a  traitor: — ^and  what  became  of  him?  At  a 
time  when  from  man,  he  had  every  thing  to  hope,  and 
nothing  to  fear;  his  master  being  condemned,  his  for- 
mer associates  dispersed  and  terrified,  and  himself  pa- 
tronized by  the  Jewish  rulers ;  this  traitor  was  seized 
with  remorse,  confessed  that  he  had  betrayed  innocent 
blood,  returned  the  wages  of  iniquity  to  those  from 
whom  he  had  received  it,  and  in  despair  '  departed,  and 
*  went  and  hanj^ed  himself.'  All  this  is  natural  and 
probable,  on  the  supposition  that  the  gospel  is  true ; 
on  the  contrary  supposition,  it  is  incredible  and  impo^j- 
sible. 


SECTION  IL 

THE    SUBJECT   C0NTINUEI5* 

Of  the  argument  from  prophecy. 


^Mi^ 


JL  HE  gospel  history  is,  in  many  particulars,  an  ac- 
complishment of  certain  prophecies,  preserved  as  sa- 
cred by  the  Jews  themselves,  and  committed  to  writ- 
ing several  hundred  years  before  our  Saviour  was  born. 
That  prophecy  is  possible,  must  be  admitted  b}  all  who 
admit  the  possibility  of  other  miracles,  that  is,  by  all 
who  acknowledge  the  power  and  omniscience  of  the 
Deity.  And  that,  in  former  times,  and  previously  to 
the  last  and  great  manifestation  of  divine  truth,  pro- 
phecy and  other  miracles  might  have  been  expedient  or 
VOL,  ii;  3  e 


m  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

necessar}%  though  now  they  are  so  no  longer,  it  would 
be  very  presumptuous  to  deny. 

In  the  history  of  the  Old  Testament,  it  appears,  that, 
Irom  the  earliest  ages,  an  expectation  had  prevailed^ 
among  the  Jews  and  their  forefathers,  that  an  extraor- 
dinary person,  called  by  some  of  the  prophets,  the  Mes- 
siah, that  is,  the  Anointed,  or  the  Christ,  would 
at  one  time  or  other  appear  on  earth,  and  bring  about  a 
very  important  change  in  the  condition  of  the  Jews, 
and  of  all  other  nations.  The  ancient  prophecies  that 
seem  to  relate  to  this  person,  when  taken  separately, 
may,  to  a  superficial  view,  appear  to  have  less  signifi- 
cancy,  than  Christians  ascribe  to  them.  But  he,  who 
compares  them  together,  and  observes,  how  they  refer 
to,  and  illustrate,  and  often  imitate  the  language,  and 
sometimes  copy  the  words  of  one  another,  will  be  struck 
with  their  consistency  and  connection ;  and  astonished 
to  find  so  many  of  them,  notwithstanding  the  variety 
and  apparent  incongruity  of  the  circumstances  foretold, 
so  exacdy  fulfilled  in  the  history  of  the  birth,  life,  death, 
and  religion,  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

Soon  after  the  fall,  it  was  foretold,  of  this  Great  per- 
son*, that  he  should  be,  in  a  peculiar  sense,  the  son  of 
a  woman;  that,  from  the  malignity  of  the  devil,  he 
should  be  a  sufferer,  but  that  he  should  bring  destruc- 
tion on  that  evil  spirit.  Two  thousand  years  after,  it 
was  foretold  to  Abraham,  that  this  person  should  be  of 
the  posterity  of  Isaac,  and  a  blessing  to  all  nations ; 
and  it  was  afterwards  predicted,  that  he  should  be  of 
the  tribe  of  Judah,  and  family  of  David,  and  be  bora 
of  a  virgin  in  the  tov/n  of  Bethlehem.  It  was  foretold, 
by  the  patriarch  Israel,  that  till  he  should  comt^,  the 
Jewish  government  would  not  be  subverted;  and  by 
the  prophet  Daniel  the  exact  time  of  his  death  is  fore- 
told, as  Mr.  Ferguson  has  proved  in  the  most  satisfac- 
tory manner.  It  was  foretold,  that  this  Messiah,  this 
triumphant  Prince  and  Saviour,  should  die  a  violenc 
death,  as  a  malefactor,  not  for  any  sin  of  his  own,  but 

*  Genesis  III.  15.  Gerard's  Sermons,  4.  5.  d,. 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORV  IS  TRUE.  40S 

far  the  sins  of  mankind ;  and  that  soon  after  his  death 
the  city  and  temple  of  Jerusalem  would  be  destroyed: 
])ut  notwithstanding  his  ignominious  death,  it  was  fore- 
told that  his  dominion  should  be  over  all  nations,  and 
without  end,  that  he  should  speak  peace  to  the  heathen, 
and  introduce  a  new  dispensation  of  things,  tending  to, 
and  terminating  in,  peace  and  happiness  eternal. 

It  was  foretold,  that  he  should  preach  good  tidings  to 
the  poor,  and  perform  many  miracles  for  the  allevia- 
tion of  human  infirmity;  particularly,  tliat  he  should 
give  sight  to  the  blind,  speech  to  the  dumb,  hearing  to 
the  deaf,  and  the  perfect  use  of  their  limbs  to  the  lame. 
It  was  foretold,  that  he  should  be  sold  for  thirty  pieces 
of  silver,  and  that  with  this  money  a  potter's  field  should 
be  bought;  that  he  should  be  scourged,  buffeted,  and 
spit  upon ;  that  he  should  be  meek  and  silent  before  his 
accusers;  that  his  hands  and  feet  should  be  pierced, 
but  that  his  bones  should  not  be  broken;  that  gall  and 
vinegar  should  be  offered  him  to  drink ;  that  lots  should 
be  cast  for  his  garments;  that  he  should  be  buried  in  a 
rich  man's  sepulchre;  and  that  he  should  rise  again 
without  seeing  corruption.  How  far  these  predictions 
were  verified  in  Jesus,  no  person  needs  be  informed 
who  has  read  the  New-Testament.  And  in  him  alone 
they  were  verified,  and  in  no  other  man  that  ever  ap- 
peared on  the  earth. 

But  are  all  these  predictions  applied  with  equal  plain- 
ness by  the  prophets  to  the  Messiah?  They  are  not :  some 
are  more  explicit  and  positive,  others  only  insinuated. 
And  if  we  had  no  other  evidence  of  the  truth  of  our 
religion,  I  grant  that  this  would  be  defective.  But, 
when  we  take  a  general  view  of  the  Old  and  New- Tes- 
taments, and  observe,  that  the  one  is,  as  it  were,  a  com- 
pletion of  the  other:  and  that  the  revekitions  recorded 
in  both,  though  consisting  of  many  parts,  and  deliver- 
ed by  different  authors,  and  in  different  ages,  have  the 
same  tendency,  and  the  most  perfect  unity  of  design:-— 
Avhenwe  reflect  that  these  prophecies  would  mean  no- 
thing, if  they  were  not  fulfilled  in  Jesus,  but  that,  as 
fulfilled  m  him,  they  have  a  most  important  meaning; 


iQ4  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

and  that  the  prophets,  who  uttered  them,  predicted  sev- 
eral other  things,  that  have  come  to  pass,  particularly 
concerning  Tyre  and  Egypt,  Cyrus  and  Babylon,  and 
the  state  of  the  Jews,  after  their  dispersion  by  the  Ro- 
mans : — and,  v/hich  is  still  more  to  the  present  purpose, 
when  we  find  our  Saviour,  and  his  apostles,  whose  ve- 
racity and  supernatural  knowledge  we  can  prove  by 
other  evidence^  appealing  to  these  prophecies,  and  there- 
by justifying  their  doctrine  and  conduct,  and  thereby 
often  silencing  and  converting  Jews,  who  had  studied 
the  prophets,  and  acknowledged  their  authenticity  :-— 
in  a  word,  when  we  join  this  to  the  other  proofs  of  our 
religion,  we  become  sensible,  that  the  argument  from 
prophecy  has  a  force  in  it,  which  cannot  fail  to  make  a 
strong  impression  on  every  candid  and  considerate  mind. 
But  let  not  the  adversary  triumph,  though  to  him  this . 
argument  should  not  appear  satisfactory :  for  the  truth 
of  our  religion  might  be  proved,  though  we  were  to 
omit  this  part  of  the  evidence.     Yet  this  has  its  use,  in 
confirming  the  faith  of  the  inquisitive  Christian:  and 
this  has  iDcen  singularly  useful,  in  the  conversion  of 
the  modern  infidel,  as  well  as  of  the  ancient  Jew.    See 
Bishop  Burnet's  account  of  the  death  of  the  Earl  of 
Rochester. 

The  better  sort  of  the  ancient  philosophers  admitted, 
that  certain  offices  of  good- will  were  due  to  all  men. 
But  universal  benevolence,  or  a  desire  to  promote  the 
virtue  and  happiness  of  all  men,  seems  not  to  have  been 
prevalent  either  among  them,  or  among  the  Jews.  Love 
to  one's  country,  is  celebrated  by  the  Greek  and  Ro- 
man writers,  as  a  sublime  virtue :  but  it  was  such  a 
love,  as  prompted  men  to  nothing  more,  than  to  take 
care  of  the  interests  of  their  own  community,  with  lit- 
tle or  no  concern  for  those  of  other  nations.     In  this  re- 
spect, the  Jews  were  as  narrow-minded  as  any  people 
could  be :  they  despised  and  hated  all  other  nations ; 
although  the  morality  of  Moses  and  the  prophets  ought 
to  have  given  them  a  more  liberal  way  of  thinking.  Into 
the  mind  of  a  Jew,  therefore,  how  could  it  enter,  except 
by  supernatural  means,  that  the  promised  Prince  and 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUK.  40.5 

Messiah,  from  whom  so  many  great  things  were  ex- 
pected in  behalf  of  the  Jewish  nation,  should  also  be  a 
*  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles;'  and  that  the  influence 
of  his  power  and  benignity,  as  the  deliverer  of  mankind, 
should  be  universal  and  eternal  ?  This  magnificent  idea 
is  familiar  to  us,  because  we  derive  it  from  Holy  Writ; 
but  how  remote  it  must  have  been  from  the  minds  of 
men  lu^aided  by  revelation,  may  appear  from  this,  that 
there  is  no  trace  of  it  in  any  pagan  author  ;•— except, 
perhaps,  in  the  fourth  eclogue  of  Virgil ;  and  that  po- 
em is  generally  thought  to  have  been  composed  from 
some  fragments  of  ancient  prophecy,  probably  of  Isaiah, 
which  had  come,  we  know  not  how,  into  the  hands  of 
the  great  Roman  poet. 

Of  several  other  prophecies  it  would  not  be  difficult 
to  show,  that,  considering  the  opinions  and  temper  of 
the  Jews,  they  are  wholly  unaccountable,  unless  we 
suppose  them  to  have  been  the  dictates  of  inspiration. 
Such  is  that  memorable  one  of  Zechariah,  afterwards 
literally  fulfilled  in  all  its  parts  :  '  Rejoice  greatly,  O 
'  daughter  of  Zion  ;  shout,  O  daughter  of  Jerusalem  : 
'  behold,  thy  king  cometh  unto  thee;  he  is  just,  and 
'  having  salvation  ;  lowly,  and  riding  upon  an  ass,  and 
*  upon  a  colt,  the  foal  of  an  ass.'  Was  this  likely  to 
happen  ?  Was  it  thus,  that  kings  and  conquerors  used 
to  enter  their  capital  cities?  Was  it  with  this  humble 
equipage  that  the  Jews  expected  their  glorious  and  tri- 
umphant Messiah  w^ould  appear  ?  Yet  thus  he  did  ap- 
pear ;  infinitely  more  triumphant  and  glorious,  than  if 
he  had  been  what  they  expected. 

Before  I  leave  the  subject  of  prophecy,  let  me  sub- 
join a  remiu'k,  which  is  perhaps,  too  early  introduced, 
but  which,  when  tlie  veracity  of  the  apostles  shall  have 
been  evinced  from  other  topics,  will  be  found  to  have 
great  weight  in  the  argument.  It  is,  that  there  are  also, 
in  the  New-Testament,  predictions,  which  have  been 
plainly  accomplished.  Such  is  our  Lord's  prophecy, 
that  he  should  be  betrayed,  delivered  to  the  Gentiles, 
insulted  and  crucified,  and  should  rise  from  the  dead 
on  the  third  day  :  events,  which  fell  out  accordingly ; 


406  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

but  of  which,  at  the  time  he  foretold  them,  one  seemefl 
to  be  impossible,  and  the  others  very  improbable.  And 
such  is  that,  which  he  so  particularly  delivered  con- 
cerning Peter's  momentary  apostacy ;  a  circumstance 
which,  considering  the  zeal,  the  generosity,  and  the  in- 
trepidity of  that  apostle,  was  most  unlikely,  and  which 
Peter  himself,  notwithstanding  his  A^eneration  for  his 
master,  did  not  believe  to  be  possible,  till  he  found  it 
had  happened.  I  may  add,  that  Peter's  exemplary  pen- 
itence, and  subsequent  conduct,  when  viewed  in  4 
connection  with  the  peculiarity  of  his  character,  form 
a  striking  proof,  that  his  faith  was  equally  well-founded 
and  sincere,  and  that  he  *  knew  in  whom  he  believed.' 

Those  other  predictions,  that  have  been  supposed  to 
allude  to  the  church  of  Rome,  or  to  the  Mahometan  im- 
posture, I  do  not  touch  upon ;  because  the  world  has 
not  yet  perhaps  seen  their  completion.  But  that  of  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  must  not  be  overlooked  ;  as  it 
was  so  soon,  and  in  so  signal  a  manner  verified ;  and 
as  it  related  to  an  event,  which,  when  our  Saviour  fore- 
told it,  the  Jews  being  then  at  peace  witl;i  the  Romans, 
and  apparently  reconciled  to  their  yoke,  no  human  wis- 
dom could  have  foreseen.  So  great  is  the  resemblance 
between  this  prophecy  and  the  calamities  that  followed, 
as  these  are  recorded  by  Flavins  Josephus,  who  had 
the  best  opportunities  of  information,  being  himself 
present  at  the  siege  ;  so  like,  I  say,  is  the  prediction  to 
the  event,  that  one  would  not  be  surprised,  if  the  infidel 
were  to  suspect,  that  the  event  must  have  been  prior  to 
the  prediction.  But  it  is  somewhat  remarkable,  that 
Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke,  who  have  recorded  this 
prophecy,  died  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
and  that  John,  who  survived  it,  has  not  recorded  the 
prophecy. 

I  shall  first  set  down  some  parts  of  this  prophecy, 
introduced  with  a  prediction  of  Daniel ;  and  secondly, 
I  shall  quote  some  passages  from  Josephus,  and  one 
sentence  from  Tacitus,  relating  to  the  events  whereby 
those  predictions  seem  plainly  to  have  been  accorn-^ 
plished. 


THE  GOSPEL  HIS'IORY  IS  TRUE.  407 

*  After  threescore   and   two  weeks,'    says    Daniel, 

*  Messiah  shall  be  cut  off, — and  the  people  of  the  prince 
'  that  shall  come,  shall  destroy  the  city  and  sanctuary ; 

*  and  the  end  thereof  shall  be  with  a  flood,  and  unto  the 

*  end  of  the  war  desolations  are  determined.' 

'  Seest  thou  these  great  buildings,'  says  our  Saviour, 
speaking  of  the  temple  ?  *  There  shall  not  be  left  one 

*  stone  upon  another,  that  shall  not  be  thrown  down. 
'  The  days  shall  come  upon  thee,  (O  Jerusalem)  when 

*  thine  enemies  shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee,  and  keep 

*  thee  in  on  every  side,  and  shall  lay  thee  even  with  the 

*  ground,  and  shall  not  leave  thee  one  stone  upon  ano- 

*  ther.— And  great  earthquakes  shall  be  in  divers  places, 

*  and  famines,  and  pestilences,  and  fearful  sights ;  and 
'  great  signs  shall  there  be  from  heaven. — There  shall 

*  be  great  tribulation,  such  as  never  happened  from  the 
'  beginning  of  the  world,  to  this  time. — They  shall  fall 

*  by  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  shall  be  led  av.  ay  cap- 
^  tive  into  all  nations  :  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  trodden 
'  down  of  the  Gentiles. — This  generation  shall  not  pass, 

*  till  all  these  things  be  fulfilled.' 

The  reader  may  compare  this  prophecy,  with  the  fol- 
lowing extracts ;  the  fifth  of  which  is  from  Tacitus,  the 
rest  from  Josephus. 

1.  '  Titus  commanded  his  soldiers  to  dig  up  the 
'  foundations  of  both  the  city  and  the  temple.' 

2.  '  Vespasian's  army  compassed  the  city  round 
'  about  with  a  wall  of  thirty-nine  furlongs,  having  on 
'  it  thirteen  towers,  and  kept  them  in  on  every  side  ; 
'  and  so  made  it  impossible  for  the  Sew^  within  the  city 

*  to  escape.' 

3.  '  Titus  having  commanded  his  soldiers  to  dig  up 

*  the  city,  this  was  so  completely  done,  by  levelling 

*  the  whole  compass  of  it,  except  three  towers,  that 

*  they  who  came  to  see  it  w^ere  persuaded  it  could  never 

*  be  built  again.' 

4.  '  In  the  times  of  Claudius  and  Nero,'  (a  few  years 
before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,)  *  there  happened 
'  in  Judea  a  prodigious  tempest,  and  \'ehement  winds 
^  with  rain,  and  dreadful  lightning,  and  thunder,  and 

*  roarings  of  the  trembling  earth,' 


4.08  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.^ 

5.  *  Armies  seemed  to  encounter,  and  weapons  to 
glitter  in  the  sky ;  the  temple  seemed  to  blaze  with 
fire  issuing  from  tlie  clouds  ;  and  a  voice,  more  than 
human,  was  heard,  declaring  that  the  deities  were 
quitting  the  place,  which  was  attended  with  the  sound 
of  a  great  motion,  as  of  persons  going  away. 

6.  '  The  great  gate  of  the  temple,  (which  twenty 
men  could  scarcely  shut,  and  which  was  secured  by 
bolts  and  bars,)  '  was  seen  to  open  of  its  own  accord: 

a  sword  appeared  hanging  over  the  city  :  a  comet 
was  seen  pointing  down  upon  it  for  a  whole  year  to- 
gether. Before  the  sun  went  down,  there  appeared 
armies  in  battle-array,  and  chariots  compassing  the 
country,  and  investing  the  cities  :  a  thing  so  strange, 
that  it  would  pass  for  a  fable,  were  there  not  living 
men  to  attest  it. 

7.  '  Never  was  anv  nation  more  wicked,  nor  ever 
did  a  city  suffer  as  they  did. — All  the  miseries  that 
mankind  had  suffered  from  the  beginning  of  the  world 
were  not  to  be  compared  with  those  that  the  Jewish 
nation  did  then  suffer.  The  number  of  captives  was 
ninety  seven  thousand.  Titus  sent  many  to  Egypt, 
and  most  of  them  he  dispersed  into  the  Roman  pro- 
vinces*.' 

In  Jerusalem,  during  the  seige,  there  perished  by  fa- 
mine, disease,  and  the  sword,  six  hundred  thousand, 
according  to  Suetonius  ;  eleven  hundred  thousand,  ac- 
j  cording  to  Josephus  and  Jornandes.  And  not  long  af- 
ter, a  general  persecution  of  the  Jews  took  place  through- 
out the  Roman  empire. — All  these  things  came  to  pass 
within  the  space  of  forty  years  after  the  death  of  our 
Saviour ;  so  that  the  generation,  which  v/as  on  earth 
when  he  uttered  this  memorable  prophecy,  had  not 
passed  away,  when  it  was  in  all  its  parts  accomplished. 
This  extraordinary  revolution  has  had  consequences 
not  less  extraordinary.  Ever  since  the  period  T speak 
of,  the  Jews  have  been  dispersed  through  all  nations, 

*  See  Whilby  quoted  by  West,  in  his  Observations  on  the  his- 
tory and  evidences  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ;  p.  380. 
edit.  5. 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE*  4ioa 

without  obtaining  a  rct^ular  establishment  in  any;  have 
been  generally  despised  wherever  they  w  ent ;  huve  been 
without  a  king,  without  a  prince,  and  without  a  sacri- 
fice :  and  yet  have  not  lost  dieir  religion,  nor  been  in- 
corporated w^ith  the  Gentiles  among  v\ horn  they  v.an- 
der  ;  but  still  remain  a  distinct  people.  Has  such  been 
the  fate  of  any  other  niition  ?  Could  this,  then,  ha^e 
been  foreseen  or  fore  told,  except  by  supernatural  means? 
Yet  of  them  this  was  foretold  by  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel, 
Hosea,  and  Moses,  indeed  the  whole  history  of  this 
people,  before  their  dispersion  by  Titus,  and  since^ 
bears  irrefragable  testimony  to  the  truth  of  both  the 
C»id  Testament  and  the  New.  See  Addison's  remcu^cs 
on  it,  in  the  four  hundred  and  ninety-fifth  paper  of  the 
Spectator^'. -^So  much  for  prophecy.  The  argument 
ari.^nig  from  the  excellency,  and  singular  nature,  of  tiie 
Christian  doctrine,  will  be  considered  bv  and  bv* 


SECTION  IIL 

THE    SUBJECT    CONTIN"UED* 

The  faith  of  the  first  disciples  vms  the  effect^  ?7ot  of 
weakness,  hut  of  well- 'grounded  conviction. 

JL  HE  historical  part  of  the  New-Testament  was  writ- 
ten by  men,  who  ^vere  eye-witnesses  of  many  of  the 
facts  they  relate,  and  had  the  rest  from  the  authentic 
information  of  eye- witnesses*  Those  men  either  .did 
jvroT  BELIEVE  wliat  thcy  wrote,  or  did  believe  it. 
1.  If  they  did  not  believe  what  they  wrote,  they  were 
impostorsj  and  wanted  to  deceive  the  world.  Now  men 
never  form  a  plan  of  that  nature,  unless  widi  a  view  to 
gain  some  end ;  that  is,  to  obtain  some  good,  real  or 
imaginary.  For  it  is  inconceivable,  that  a  ratioi  sal  beiiig- 
should  give  himself  the  trouble  to  invent  an  imposture, 

*  See  also  Butler's  Analo.i^y,  part  II.  chap.  7. 
VOL.  ii.  3  V 


410  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

and  support  it  through  life ;  a  work  of  great  difficulty'^ 
and,  in  a  case  like  that  before  us,  of  the  greatest  danger; 
in  order  to  draw  down  mischief  upon  himself :  and  it  is 
not  more  probable,  that  he  should  do  all  this  by  chance^ 
and  without  any  purpose  or  intention  whatever.  When 
Psalmanazar  forged  his  fable  of  the  island  Formosa, 
©an  we  imagine  that  he  had  no  meaning  in  it,  or  that 
by  so  doing  he  intended  to  hurt  his  own  interest  ?  It 
is  not  more  likely,  that  he  hoped  to  make  liis  fortune 
by  it?  What  then  was  the  motive  that  could  induce 
the  apostles  to  deceive  mankind?  what  fortune  did 
they  hope  to  make  ?  what  good,  real  or  imaginary, 
could  they  have  in  view,  if  they  were  conscious,  that 
what  they  affirmed  was  falsehood  ? 

Certain  it  is,  that,  when  their  Lord  left  them,  they 
could  no  longer  expect  to  advance  their  temporal  in- 
terest, by  adhering  to  his  cause.  On  the  contrary,  they 
Were  told  from  the  first,  and  after  his  death,  they  knew 
and  believed,  that  persecution  and  martyrdom  would 
be  their  lot  in  this  world  ;  and,  as  the  Jewish  education 
must  have  taught  them  that  God  is  just  and  holy,  they 
knowing  themselves  to  be  deceivers,  could  entertain 
no  hope  with  respect  to  the  next.  And  this  must  equal- 
ly have  been  the  state  of  their  mind,  whether  with  the 
Pharisees  they  believed  a  future  life,  or  with  the  Saddu- 
cees  denied  it.  Surely,  the  certain  prospect  of  perse- 
cution here,  with  no  hope  of  reward,  or  with  the  appre- 
hension of  punishment,  hereafter,  can  never  be  the  mo- 
tive that  tempts  men  to  falsify.  Present  gain  might 
tempt  the  covetous,  present  power  the  ambitious,  or 
present  pleasure  the  sensual ;  and  a  delusive  hope  of  fu- 
ture pleasure  or  power  might  tempt  the  enthusiast.-— 
But,  where  none  of  these  temptations  existed ;  and  with 
respect  to  the  apostles,  it  is  certain,  that  none  of  them 
did  or  could  exist ;  what  was  there  in  nature,  or  in  the 
human  imagination,  that  could  induce  them,  in  support 
of  a  lie,  to  encounter  a  life  of  pain  and  poverty,  perse- 
cution and  scorn !  All  the  impostors  that  ever  appeared 
on  earth  aimed  at  the  acquisition  of  temporal  advanta- 
ges^ of  pleasure,  wealth,  or  power :  and  indeed  it  is^ 


THE  G03PEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  4.1,) 

liard  to  conceive,  what  other  motives  could  induce  id. 
rational  being  to  become  an  impostor.  And,  with  these 
allurements  in  their  eye,  we  too  often  find  that  men  can 
harden  themselves,  for  a  time,  at  least,  against  the  ter- 
rors of  a  life  to  come. 

W  ill  it  be  said,  that  the  apostles  intended,  by  an  im- 
posture, merely  to  distinguish  themselves,  and  acquire 
fame  ?  This  could  not  be  their  intention.  All  their 
doctrines  have  a  tendencv  to  raise  the  mind  above  the 
present  world,  and  make  it  superior  to  every  consider- 
ation of  that  sort.  The  love  of  fame  is  not  that  uni- 
versal passion  which  Dr.  Young  supposes  it  to  be.-*- 
They  vv^ho  have  conversed  with  many  people,  of  differ- 
ent conditions  and  characters,  must  have  found,  that 
the  greater  part  of  mankind  have  no  idea  of  such  a  pas- 
sion. Nor  is  the  love  of  distinction  so  strong  in  any 
breast,  as  to  make  man  expose  himself  knowingly  to 
perdition  and  infamy  in  order  to  obtain  it,  Let  it  be 
observed  too,  that  the  first  apostles  were  men  of  mean 
condition,  mean  education,  and  mean  employment,  an^l 
most  of  them  considerably  advanced  in  years.  In  the 
minds  of  such  men  we  never  see  the  love  of  fame  pre- 
dominant ;  though  in  such  minds  we  often  see  the 
love  of  a  fair  character  prevail,  which,  however  most 
men  know  is  not  to  be  acquired  by  dishonesty  and  false- 
hood. 

When  men  resolve  to  set  an  imposture  on  foot,  the)" 
must  have  some  reason  to  expect  success  in  it :  because 
a  detection  is  in  all  cases  dangerous,  and  may,  in  many 
be  fatal.  The  juggler  knows,  that  his  audience  are  cred- 
ulous, and  more  willing  to  wonder  than  to  inquire  :  he 
knows  too,  that  some  of  them  are  his  confederates,  and 
that  far  the  greater  number  are  ready  to  take  his  part 
agaip.st  those  v>/ho  by  their  impertinent  curiosity  or  un- 
belief, may  be  inclined  to  interrupt  the  entertainment. 
Psalmanazar  was  in  no  danger  of  detection  ;  his  island 
being  little  known,  and  at  a  great  distance.  He  con- 
trived a  probable  tale  ;  and,  to  make  it  the  more  pro- 
bable, he  did  what  he  knew  no-body  would  suspect  him 
of  havino-  done,  because  no  man  had  ever  done  so  htn 


412  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

fere,-— he  invented  a  new  language.  In  fact,  though  at 
first  some  doubted,  he  was  never  detected ;  his  fable 
obtained  credit  for  more  than  half  a  century ;  and  it 
was  his  own  voluntary  confession,  tlje  eifect  of  sincere, 
though  late  repentance,  that  let  the  world  into  the  secret. 

Now,  suppose  a  few  illiterate  fishermen  to  contrive  a 
new  religion,  different  from  all  others  ;  and  endeavour 
to  obtrude  it  on  mankind,  in  opposition,  to  the  tempo- 
ral interests  of  their  immediate  rulers,  and  to  all  the 
prejudices,  the  passions,  the  power,  the  learning,  the 
philosophy,  and  the  eloquence,  of  an  enlightened  and 
inquisitive  age  ;  what  chance  would  they  have  to  suc- 
ceed in  the  imposture !  How  is  it  possible,  that  they 
should  entertain  any  hope  of  success  at  all !  The  thing 
is  impossible.  And  therefore  the  apostles  must  have 
certainly  known,  that  their  religion  w^as  from  heaven, 
and  would  be  supported  by  supernatural  means  ;  which 
actually  happened  to  be  the  case.  For  on  no  other 
supposition  can  the  extraordinary  success  of  their  min- 
istry be  accounted  for, 

A  disposition  to  falsify  and  deceive,  is  a  criminal  pas- 
sion, that  never  appears  single  or  solitary  in  the  mind. 
Other  evil  passions  never  fail  to  accompany  this  ;  for 
where  the  love  of  truth  is  not,  virtue  cannot  be.  But 
the  apostles,  after  their  conversion,  w^ere  patterns  of 
every  virtue  ;  of  humility,  patience,  benevolence,  piety, 
and  the  most  amiable  simplicity  of  manners  :  virtues, 
which  never  did,  and  never  can,  meet  in  the  character 
of  a  deceiver.  Lying  makes  a  man  infamous  ;  which 
it  would  not  do,  if  the  world  did  not  know,  by  the  ex- 
perience of  all  ages,  that  from  him,  v/ho  is  inclined  to 
that  practice,  no  good  is  to  be  expected.—*!  may  add, 
that  the  virtues  above  mentioned,  exemplified  as  they 
uiiiformly  were  in  all  the  apostles,  must  have  been  the 
effect,  not  so  much  of  natural  disposition,  for  the  apos- 
tles were  in  other  respects,  of  diflerent  characters,  as 
of  that  diviiie  grace  and  truth,  with  w^hich  they  were 
equally  and  uniformly  enlightened. 

The  first  preachers  of  the  gospel  taught  men  to  sub- 
dvie  all  irregular  desires  of  pleasure^  wealth  and  power, 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  413 

and  to  suppress  every  tendency  of  the  heart  to  pride, 
vanity,  and  vain-g'lory.  Had  they  themselves  been  ac- 
tuated by  such  desires,  or  tendencies,  their  conduct 
must  have  behed  their  doctrine.  But  no  t^vo  things  can 
be  more  consistent,  than  the  doctrine  and  practice  of  the 
apostles:  they  taught  uhat  they  practised,  they  prac- 
tised vv  hat  they  taught;  and  through  life,  and  at  death, 
their  whole  behaviour  was  uniform. 

By  what  they  taught  they  could  never  hope  to  make 
themselves  popular,  either  in  the  higher  or  in  the  lower 
ranks  of  Hfe;  for  they  flattered  no  human  vice,  but  ab- 
solutely prohibited  ail.  Among  the  vulgar  they  met 
with  no  little  opposition,  from  prejudice,  want  of  sense, 
and  brutal  manners.  From  the  learned,  of  their  own, 
or  of  other  countries,  they  could  expect  no  indulgence ; 
because  the  religion  they  introduced,  was,  in  most 
things,  directly  opposite  to  the  spirit  of  pagan  philoso- 
ph} ,  as  well  as  to  the  tenets  and  temper  of  the  Jewish 
sectaries.  And  from  the  Roman  emperors,  who  in 
those  days  might  be  called  the  sovereigns  of  the  world, 
what  but  persecution,  could  that  man  look  for,  who  was 
to  deny  their  deification,  and  refuse  to  pay  them  divine 
honours:  a  prerogative,  whereof  those  proud  poten- 
tates too  well  knew  the  value  to  permit  it  to  be  \^  rested 
from  them  with  impunity;  but  which,  however,  was  at 
last,  though  net  with  impunity,  wrested  from  them,  in 
consequence  of  the  preaching  of  a  few  unlettered  fish- 
ermen, from  Judea. 

Though  the  apostles  did  not,  as  some  enthusiast  have 
done,  provoke  persecution,  but  exerted  on  all  proper 
occasions  a  becoming  prudence,  yet  self-interest  can- 
not be  said  to  have  determined  their  conduct  in  a  sin- 
gle instance.  On  the  contrary,  nothing  is  more  evident, 
from  their  history  and  writings,  than  that,  after  the  com- 
mencement of  their  ministry,  the  business  of  their 
lives  was,  to  promote  the  glory  of  God,  and  make  men 
superior,  both  to  the  adversities  and  prosperities  of  this 
life,  and  happy  in  that  which  is  to  com.e.  And  this  they 
did,  not  by  recommending,  like  the  Stoics,  an  unnatu- 
ral and  impracticable  insensibility,  or  a  stera  resolution 


A>16>  THE  GOSPEL  IHSTORY  IS  TRUE. 

to  submit  to  that  which  cannot  be  resisted ;  but  by  teacli^ 
ing,  that  the  evils  incident  to  this  state  of  trial  are  all  in- 
tended by  the  merciful  father  of  mankind,  as  paternal 
admonitions,  or  as  opportunities  of  calling  forth  and  ex- 
ercising those  virtues,  which  are  necessary  to  prepare 
us  for  the  enjoyment  of  future  reward. 

And  let  it  not  be  forgotten,  that  they  had  been  educat- 
ed in  the  principles  and  prejudices  of  the  Jews;  a  na- 
tion at  that  time  universally  despised,  and,  if  we  admit 
the  testimony  of  their  countryman  Josephus,  as  wicked 
as  any  that  ever  was  on  the  earth ;  in  spite  of  the  advan- 
tages they  ought  to  have  derived  from  Moses,  and  their 
other  moralists  and  prophets.  The  virtue  of  the  Ro- 
man people  was  not  in  those  days  exemplary.  Yet, 
when  we  compare  their  manners,  as  they  occasionally 
appeal'  in  the  sacred  histor}^,  with  those  of  the  Jews, 
how  are  we  struck  with  the  difference ! 

The  Romans  are  indeed  Pagans;  but  they  are  not 
destitute  of  that  good- nature  and  loveof  justice,  which 
one  expects  to  find  in  a  civilized  nation:  the  Jews  arc 
seldom  seen  in  any  other  character  than  that  of  bloody 
barbarians.  Pontius  Pilate  avowed  our  Lord's  inno- 
cence, and  showed  an  inclination  to  save  his  life ;  Gal- 
lio,  pro -consul  of  Achaia  acted  with  good  sense  and 
moderation,  when  Paul  was  brought  before  him* ;  Clau- 
dius Lysias,  Festus,  and  Felix,  in  their  treatment  of 
the  same  apostle,  were  not  unmercifully  severe;  and 
the  centurion,  whose  prisoner  he  was  in  his  voyage  to 
Italy,  was  very  much  attached  to  him.  But  the  Jew- 
ish priests,  scribes  and  elders,  conspired  to  murder  our 
Saviour  without  a  trial,  suborned  persons  to  bear  false 
witness  against  him,  and  bribed  one  of  his  followers  to 
betray  him :  and  the  same  assembly,  or  their  success- 
ors in  office,  connived  at  a  scheme,  and  of  course  con- 
curred in  it,  for  the  assassination  of  Paul.  In  a  word, 
it  appears,  that  the  greater  part,  and  what  we  call  the 
better  sort,  of  the  Jews  of  that  age  when  they  had  re- 

*  See  Disquisitions  concerning  the  antiquities  of  tlie  Christhiu 
phurch,  chap.  l# 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  415 

S^Slved  on  any  measure,  would  not  hesitate  to  employ 
any  means,  however  unjust,  cruel,  or  shameful,  in  the 
accomplishment  of  it.  That  a  nation  so  utterly  prof- 
ligate should  have,  at  the  same  time,  produced  twelve 
men  of  such  exalted  piety,  generous  benevolence,  and 
morals  so  refined  and  so  perfect,  as  Jesus  Christ  and  his 
apostles,  is  almost  as  great  a  miracle,  by  the  acknow- 
ledgment of  Rousseau  himself  (who  is  not  partial  to 
the  sacred  writers),  as  any  that  stands  on  record.  There 
must  have  been  something  extraordinary  in  the  cause, 
that  could  in  these  circumstances  produce  chai'actcrs  so 
transcendently  excellent. 

Of  our  Lord's  disciples,  previously  to  their  conver- 
sion, w^e  know  little;  but  this  we  know,  that  they  be- 
came soon  after  preachers  and  patterns  of  righteousness. 
How  is  it  possible  that  this  should  have  been  the  effect 
of  their  engaging  in  an  imposture?  Can  the  continued 
practice  of  hypocrisy  and  lying,  improve  and  purify  the 
heart?  The  age  wherein  they  livedo  being  more  enlight- 
ened than  any  that  had  gone  before  it,  and  beyond  mea- 
sure addicted  to  disputation  and  inquiry,  was  a. most 
unfavourable  period  for  the  introduction  of  any  public 
fraud.  In  all  that  part  of  the  world  the  arms  of  Rome 
had  established  her  policy,  the  exactness  whereof  is  well 
known:  and  the  Greek  learning,  universally  studied  by 
the  Romans,  was  likely  to  be  carried  into  every  country 
that  was  subject  to  their  power. 

It  deserves  particular  notice,  that,  till  after  the  death 
of  their  master,  the  apostles  were  never  cured  of  the 
national  mistake,  that  the  Messiah  was  to  be  a  great  tem- 
poral prince,  and  to  make  the  Jews  the  most  powerful 
people  in  the  world.  Accoixlingly  we  find,  that  imme- 
diately after  his  crucifixion,  they  were  greatly  discon- 
certed, and  at  a  loss  what  to  think  of  hiiu.  '  We  trust- 
'  ed,  said  they,  that  it  had  been  he  who  should  have  re- 
*  deemed  Israel*.'  At  that  time,  it  seems,  the  cross 
was  a  stumbling-block  to  them,  as  well  as  to  others. 
And  no  wonder;  considering  the  hopes  they  had  form- 

*  See  the  last  chapter  of  St.  Luke. 


416  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

ed,  and  die  sad  disappointment,  occasioned  by  an  event, 
which,  though  he  had  plainly  foretold  it,  they  were  so 
unwilling  to  believe,  as  to  flatter  themselves  it  could 
not  happen.  In  this  state  of  confusion  and  trouble,  if 
they  had  entertained  any  suspicion  of  imposture,  nay,  if 
they  had  not  been  certain  that  there  was  no  imposture, 
might  they  not,  with  a  very  good  grace,  and  is  it  not 
probable  that  they  would,  have  returned  to  their  busi- 
ness and  their  first  religion,  saying,  This  was  not  the 
man  whom  we  believed  him  to  be?  And,  as,  for  rea- 
sons already  given,  nothing  could  have  been  more  agree- 
able to  their  rulers,  than  such  a  declaration  from  such 
persons,  it  must  undoubtedly  have  promoted  their  tem- 
poral interest.  But  their  adherence  to  their  Lord,  and 
his  cause,  in  circumstances  so  very  extraordinary,  is  a 
proof,  that  they  knew  they  did  right ;  and  were  tho- 
roughly satisfied,  that  the  supernatural  knowledge, 
which  they  received  about  this  time,  from  himself,  after 
his  resurrection,  and  at  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost^ 
was  really  from  heaven. 

The  reader  will  be  pleased  to  bestow  a  second  thought 
on  this  argument.  Let  us  for  a  moment  take  for  grant- 
ed, what  is  plainly  absurd,  and  suppose  it  possible,  that 
the  apostles,  during  the  life  of  their  master,  might  have 
been  imposed  on ;  that  the  miracles  they  saw  him  per- 
form were  not  real,  but  fictitious;  that  the  divine  sanc- 
tity of  his  manners  was  assumed,  and  not  genuine ;  and 
that  the  excellency  of  his  doctrine,  the  authority  that 
accompanied  all  his  w^ords,  and  the  veneration  which 
his  presence  inspired,  were  the  effect  of  mere  human 
eloquence  and  address :  yet  surely  his  death,  if  it  had 
put  an  end  to  his  being,  would  have  at  last  opened  their 
eyes,  and  satisfied  them,  that  he  was  not  what  he  had  de* 
clared  himself  to  be.  With  this  persuasion,  which  on 
the  present  supposition  they  must  have  had,  they,  in  af- 
firming that  he  was  risen  from  the  dead,  and  in  contin- 
uing to  teach  what  he  had  taught,  must  have  known 
themselves  to  be  impostors.  What  then  could  be  their 
motive  to  persist  in  a  lie  ?  That  which  could  be  no  mo- 
tive at  all:  the  certain  prospect  of  persecution,  and 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  4ir 

death,  for  how  could  they  ima;i;Ine  It  would  fare  bet- 
ter with  thcfn,  than  it  had  fared  with  their  mahter  !) 
without  any  advantage  whatever  to  counterbalance 
those  evils.  And  what  would  have  been  their  motives 
Vo  return  to  their  Jewish  profession,  and  acknowledge 
they  had  been  imposed  on  ?  The  strongest  that  can 
influence  human  nature  :  first,  that  indignation,  which 
would  be  natural  in  men  who  liad  forsaken  all  to  fol- 
low a  person,  whom  they  now  found  to  have  deluded 
them  into  a  very  dangerous  snare  ;  secondly,  the  hope 
of  advancing  their  interest,  by  doing  that  which,  for 
reasons  already  given,  must  have  gratified  their  rulers 
in  the  highest  degree  :  and,  thirdly,  the  consciousness 
of  having,  as  became  honest  men,  performed  a  duty, 
which  thev  owed  to  themselves,  their  religion  and  their 
country.  In  fact,  if  they  were  endowed  with  any  share 
of  understanding,  or  of  spirit,  nay,  if  they  were  not 
both  idiois  and  madmen,  it  is  not  possible  to  account 
for  their  conduct  on  any  other  supposition  than  this, 
that  their  testimony  is  true.  The  man  must  be  credu- 
lous indeed,  as  well  as  ignorant  of  human  nature,  who 
can  hesitate  to  admit  this  conclusion;  unless  he  chooses 
to  reject  the  New-Testament  history  altogether.  And 
if  he  do  this,  let  him  account  for  the  existence  of  the 
Christian  religion,  if  he  can.  And  let  him  no  more 
pretend,  that  credit  is  due  to  ancient  records. 

When  we  compare  the  four  gospels  with  one  ano- 
ther, we  see  nothing  like  collusion  in  the  authors,  but 
we  may  see  very  plain  evidence  that  there  is  no  collu- 
sion. Th^v  do  not  all  relate  the  same  things,  nor  in 
exactly  the  same  manner;  nor  does  any  one  of  their 
books  seem  intended  as  an  apology  for  any  other,  or 
as  a  comment  upon  it.  In  the  style  of  each  there  are 
peculiarities,  more  observable  indeed  in  the  original 
Greek  tlian  in  any  translation  ;  but  the  same  unailect- 
ed  simplicity  prevails  through  all.  Their  testiinonies 
differ  not  in  any  thing  material ;  and  yet  they  difTeras 
much  as  is  usually  expected  in  witnesses,  separately 
examined,  and  giving  a  candid  account  of  what  they 
had  seen  and  heard.     A  perfect  co-incidence,  where 

VOL.  fi.  3   G 


4I.S  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

testimonies  consist  of  many  particulars,  would  breed 
suspicion  of  a  preconcerted  plan  :  a  few  slight  varia- 
tions, in  matters  of  little  moment,  would,  in  most 
cases,  impress  a  persuasion  of  the  integrity  of  witness- 
es. If  in  this  manner  we  judge  of  the  veracity  of  on^ 
another,  and  if  the  common  sense  of  mankind  war- 
rants the  judgment,  and  their  experience,  after  long 
trial,  finds  no  flaw  in  it ;  why  should  we  argue  from 
different  principles,  in  judging  of  the  veracity  of  the 
evangelists  ? 

Laying  all  these  things  together  ;  every  person,  who 
understands  human  nature,  and  has  read  the  New 
Testament  with  care,  and  with  thathumility  and  teach- 
ableness, that  form,  as  it  were,  the  ground-work  of 
Christian  faith,  must  be  satisfied  that  the  apostles  were 
no  impostors,  but  believed  sincerely  what  they  taught ; 
which,  indeed,  to  a  man  of  taste  would  appear,  as  ob- 
served already,  from  the  simplicity  and  artless  manner, 
in  u'hich  they  tell  their  story,  deliver  their  doctrine, 
and  record  their  own  faults,  mistakes,  and  follies. 

J  I.  They  believed  what  they  taught,  and  what  they 
recorded.  And  if  so,  ""their  faith  must  have  been  the 
effect,  either  ot  weakness,  or  of  well  grounded  con- 
viction. 

Of  weakness  it  could  not  be  the  effect.  Such  of 
their  doctrines  as  are  level  to  human  capacity,  appear 
to  be  agreeable  to  the  purest  truth,  and  the  soundest 
moralityo  All  the  genius  and  learning  of  the  heathen 
"World  5  all  the  penetration  of  Pythagoras,  Socrates, 
and  Aristotle,  had  never  been  able  to  produce  such  a 
system  of  moral  duty,  and  so  rational  an  account  of 
Providence,  and  of  man,  as  is  to  be  found  in  the  New 
Testament.  Compared,  indeed,  to  this,  all  other  mo- 
ral and  theological  wisdom 

Loses  discountenanced,  and  like  folly  shows. 

Was  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  a  weak  man  ;  he 
who  spoke  and  wrote  with  such  energy  and  address, 
and  whose  eloquence  made  a  Roman  pro-consul  trem- 
ble r  Were  those  weak  men,  who  taught  a  system  of 


THE  GOSPEL  HIS'l'ORY  IS  TRUE.  419 

opinions,  which  even  the  sovereigns  of  the  world,  and 
some  of  the  least  cruel,  the  most  learned,  and  the  most 
politick  of  them  too,  thought  it  their  interest  to  bear 
down  and  destroy,  not  with  argument,  in  which  it 
■  would  appear  they  had  no  confidence,  but  with  fire 
and  sword  ?  Were  those  weak  men,  who,  in  defiance 
of  persecution,  and  in  opposition  to  all  the  power,  po- 
licy, and  learning,  of  the  Roman  empire,  brought  in, 
though  unarmed  and  defenceless,  a  new  religion  which 
continues  to  this  day  ;  is  gradually  extending  itself 
over  the  earth  more  and  more  ;  and  by  the  still  small 
voice  of  reason,  daily  puts  to  silence,  or  confutes  at 
least,  its  most  cunning  and  most  inveterate  adversa- 
ries ?  Were  those  weak  men,  who  taught  that  which 
has  given  wisdom  and  happiness  to  millions  of  man- 
kind, and  has,  without  violence,  introduced  into  the 
manners  and  policy  of  a  great  part  of  the  world, 
changes  the  most  important  and  beneficial,  and  likely 
to  be  as  durable  as  the  world  itself?  Could  those,  in 
fine,  be  weak  men,  whom  the  most  inquisitive  and 
most  enlightened  minds  that  have  been  on  earth  since 
their  time,  whom  Bacon  and  Grotius,  whom  Newton 
and  Boyle,  whom  Hooker,  Clarke,  Butler,  and  Stil- 
Hngileet,  whom  Milton,  Clarendon,  Addison,  Arbuth- 
not,  and  Lyttleton,  have  held  in  the  highest  venera- 
tion, as  not  only  wise,  but  inspired  ?  Either,  then,  let 
the  infidel  admit  that  the  publishers  of  Christianity 
were  not  weak  men ;  or  let  him  prove,  that  the  great 
persons,  now  mentioned,  were  destitute  of  understand- 
ing, or  at  least,  in  that  respect,  inferior  to  himself. 

In  the  sciences  it  has  often  happened,  that,  from  ig- 
norance of  nature,  men  of  great  abilities  have  been  led 
into  error,  which  accidental  discovery,  or  more  accu- 
rate observation,  has  enabled  succeedinc;  inquiries  to 
rectify.  But  no  modern  discoveries  invalidate  in  the 
smallest  degree,  the  proofs  of  our  religion.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  philosophy  of  evidence,  that  corresponds 
to  telescopes,  or  microscopes,  to  electricity  or  mag- 
netism, ^len  judge  of  that  matter  now,  as  they  did 
ibrmerly.     Credible  testimony,  and  their  senses,  thev 


420  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

believed  from  the  bes^innine:*  and  thev  do  so  still.  Xoi 
has  it  yet  been  found  out,  that  any  miracle  recorded 
in  the  Gospel  is  impossible  to  divine  power,  or  any 
doctrine  there  tau2:ht,  unworthv  of  divine  wisdom. 
Every  new  discovery  in  the  visible  universe,  exalts, 
when  rightlv  understood,  our  ideas  of  the  goodness 
and  greatness  of  tht  Creator,  and  ought,  consequently, 
to  cherish  that  love  and  fear  of  him,  which  the  whole 
tenor  of  revelation  commands  us  to  cultivate-  And 
every  late  improvement  in  criticism,  and  the  know- 
ledge of  antiquity,  is  found,  when  applied  to  the  sa- 
cred writings,  to  throw  light  upon  them,  and,  by  so 
doing,  to  confirm  the  history,  and  recommend  the 
doctrine.  The  progress  of  science,  therefore,  where- 
by, in  so-many  other  respects  the  opinions  ot  the  an- 
tients  have  been  confuted  or  rectified,  seems  to  confirm 
what  the  apostles  taught  concerning  the  religion  of 
Jesus,  by  proving  its  permanency  and  unalterable  na- 
ture. 

Granting  then,  that  the  modern  infidel,  profiting  by 
the  discoveries  of  latter  times,  miay  be  better  intorm- 
ed  in  the  sciences,  than  the  primjitive  Christians  were  : 
it  will  not  follow  that  he,  or  that  the  acutest  of  our 
philosophers,  can  be  a  better  judge  of  the  leading  evi- 
dences of  Christianity.  It  is  true,  that  in  some  things 
we  are  not  so  credulous,  as  the  w^orld  must  have  been 
while  philosoDhv  and  historv  were  little  known  :  and 
tnat  ot  course  we  are  more  scrupulous  in  the  exami- 
nation ot  some  sorts  of  evidence.  But,  in  regard  to 
the  miracles,  whereof  the  apostles  were  eye-witnesses, 
which  they  recorded  in  their  writings,  in  the  belief  of 
which  they  lived  and  died  and,  niost  of  which  their 
enemies  ot  that  time  did  not  deny,  they  were  as  little 
liable  to  be  imposed  on,  as  if  each  of  them  had  pos- 
sessed the  learning  of  Grotius,  with  the  penetration  of 
Newton.  For  such  was  the  nature  of  those  miracles, 
that,  to  make  an  attentive  spectator  a  competent  judge 
of  them,  neither  learning  nor  genius,  was  necessary  ; 
nor  any  other  talent  or  accomplishment,  but  a  sound 
mind,  an  honest  hearty  and  the  right  use  of  one's 
senses. 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  421 

They  saw  men,  whom  they,  and  all  the  country 
knew  to  have  been  blind  from  their  birth,  made  to  see 
in  an  instant,  without  the  application  of  any  instru- 
ment or  medicine  :  they  saw  leprosy,  palsy,  and  other 
obstinate  diseases,  removed  in  the  same  manner,  by 
barelv  speaking  a  word  :  they  saw  the  dead  raised  to 
Jife,  yea,  raised  even  from  the  grave  :  they  saw  a  man's 
ear  cut  off,  by  the  sword  of  Peter,  and  the  wound  im- 
mediatelv  healed  with  a  touch  :  thev  saw  water  con- 
verted  into  wmc,  in  the  presence  or  many  persons, 
who  drank  of  it,  and  were  satisfied  that  the  transfor- 
mation was  real :  they  themselves  were  part  of  a  mul- 
titude of  five  thousand,  whose  hunger  was  allayed,  bv 
a  few  loaves  and  fishes,  when  more  fragments  were 
left,  than  there  had  been  food  at  first :  they  saw  their 
Master  walk  on  the  surface  of  the  sea  ;  and  they  were 
present  when,  at  his  command,  a  storm  was  changed 
into  a  calm. 

By  the  instantaneous  operation  of  the  same  divine 
word,  they  frequently  saw  human  bodies  set  free  from 
the  tyranny  of  demons  :  for  that  God,  in  order  to  ma- 
nifest the  supremacy  of  his  Son  over  the  powers  of 
darkness,  as  well  as  over  the  visible  universe,  might, 
at  that  time,  and  in  that  country,  permit  evil  spirits 
to  molest  mankind  more  than  usual,  will  not  be  af- 
firmed to  be  either  impossible  or  improbable,  by  those 
who  acknowledge  the  possibility  of  revelation.  Or  if 
we  suppsoe  the  distemper  to  have  been  no  other  than 
madness,  or  than  epilepsy,  (which,  however,  the  gene- 
ral tenor  of  the  history  will  hardly  permit  us  to  sup- 
pose,) the  cure  must  still  be  allowed  to  be  miraculous. 
For,  to  remove  these  diseases  by  speaking  a  word,  and 
to  expel  a  demon,  are  equally  beyond  the  reach  of 
human  power,  and  equally  easy  to  that  which  is  divine. 
The  apostles  heard  their  Master  foretel  several 
events,  particularly  his  crucifixion  and  resurrection, 
and  they  saw  that,  as  well  as  some  of  his  other  pro- 
phecies, accomplished.  They  saw  him  [)ublicly  cru- 
cified, pierced  with  a  spear,  and  buried.  They  saw 
the  prodigies  that  accompanied  his  last  suffering  ;    at 


422  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

jeast,  they  must  have  seen  the  preternatural  darkness, 
and  felt  the  earthquake  ;  and  the  rending  of  the  veil 
of  the  temple  they  would  not  have  mentioned,  if  they 
had  not  known  that  it  was  so.  Three  days  after,  ac- 
cording to  his  prediction,  they  saw  him  alive  again, 
conversed  with  him,  ate,  and  probably  drank  with  him, 
felt  his  body  to  be  a  real  material  body,  felt  even  the 
scars  of  his  wounds,  saw  him  frequently  during  the 
space  of  forty  days;  and  finally,  were  standing  by  him 
and  receiving  his  benediction,  when  in  open  day  they 
saw  him  ascend  towards  heaven,  following  him  with 
their  eyes,  till  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight. 

These  are  facts,  in  regard  to  which  they  could  not  be 
mistaken,  though  they  had  been  the  most  credulous  of 
mankind.  But  credulous  they  were  not :  some  of 
them,  on  the  contrary,  seem  to  have  been  unreasonably 
sceptical.  Indeed,  if  we  allow  them  to  have  had  com- 
mon understanding,  which  no  person  who  knows 
their  story  will  deny,  we  must  suppose,  that  they  would 
not  rashly,  or  without  full  conviction  engage  in  a  cause 
which,  in  a  temporal  view,  was  likely  to  cost  them  so 
dear.  They  were,  it  is  true,  unlettered  men  :  but  the 
propriety  of  their  conduct,  the  wisdom  of  their  doc- 
trine, and  the  success  of  their  ministry,  are  so  much 
the  clearer  proofs  of  their  inspiration. 

One  of  them,  a  man  of  learing  and  uncommon  abil- 
ities, a  zealous  Jew,  and  an  unrelenting  persecutor  of 
christians,  in  the  midst  of  his  sanguinary  career,  while 
he,  *  verily  thought  with  himself,'  that  the  cause  he  had 
engaged  in  w^as  acceptable  to  God,  and  beneficial  to 
his  country  ; — while,  by  adhering  to  it,  he  seemed  to 
have  every  thing  to  hope  that  could  gratify  his  ambi- 
tion, and  while,  by  revolting  from  it,  in  the  way  he 
did,  he  had  every  temporal  inconvenience  to  fear,  that 
can  intimidate  human  nature  :  this  man,  1  say,  while 
in  these  circumstances,  and  charged  with  a  public 
commission,  which  he  himself  had  solicited  from  the 
high  priest,  and  at  the  head  of  a  train  of  attendants, 
was,  together  with  them,  at  noon-day,  struck  to  the 
earth  by  an  extraordinary  light  from  heaven ;  in  con- 


THE  GOSPEL  IIISTORV  IS  TRUE.  423 

sequence  of  which  he  became  a  Christian,  declaring 
that  he  had  been  warned  by  a  supernatural  voice  ;  re- 
nouned  for  ever  all  worldly  pursuits,  and  cheerfully 
submitted  to  poverty,  persecution  and  death,  for  the 
religion  of  Jesus. 

What  could  be  his  motive  ?  Was  it  a  regard  to  duty, 
founded  on  his  knowledge,  and  his  love  of  the  truth  ? 
Then  is  his  conduct  easily  accounted  for;  and  his  re- 
signation to  the  many  evils  he  had  to  suffer  was  the  ef- 
fect of  that  support,  which  pious  men  receive,  from 
the  approbation  of  their  own  mind,  the  hope  of  a  fu- 
ture reward,  and  the  enlivening  influence  of  divine 
grace.  From  any  other  principle  is  it  possible  to  ac- 
count rationally  for  his  conduct  r  Was  it  from  lust  of 
fame,  the  desire  of  pleasure  or  of  power,  or  in  order 
to  better  his  fortune,  that  this  man  with  a  mind  eleva- 
ted by  genius,  and  enlightened  by  learning,  choose  to 
descend,  with  certain,  imminent,  and  dreadful  danger 
to  himself,  from  a  high  and  honourable  station, — that  he 
might  becomethe  associate  of  afew  poor,despised. per- 
secuted, and  illiterate  fishermen, among  whom  henever 
assumed  any  superiority,  and  whose  master  had  lately- 
been  put  to  an  ignominious  death,  as  a  malefactor, 
not  only  of  the  worst  kind,  but  also  of  the  meanest 
condition  ? 

In  a  word,  Paul  either  was,  or  was  not,  an  impostor. 
If  he  was  an  impostor,  he  must  have  been  a  very  sin- 
gular one  indeed.  For  instead  of  aiming  at  riches, 
honour,  pleasure,  or  power,  (and  at  one  or  other,  or 
all  of  these,  all  other  impostors  have  aimed,)  his  hopes 
and  purposes  must,  in  every  respect,  have  had  a  con- 
trary direction.  He  must  have  preferred  contempt  to 
honour,  imprisonment  to  liberty,  danger  to  security, 
and  scourging,  stoning,  hunger,  and  nakedness*,  and 
martyrdom,  (for  they  vi-ere  all  before  him,  and  he  un- 
derwent them  all,  without  a  murmur,)  to  a  life  of  ease 
and  affluence.  And,  finally,  being  a  strict  Pharisee, 
and   consequently  believing  a  future  state,  he  must, 

*  2  Cor.  xi.  2r.  1  Cor.  iv.  11,  12,  13. 


424  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

without  any  temporal  allurement  whatever,  have  pre- 
ferred damnation  to  happiness  in  the  world  to  come. 
But,  could  he  thus,  in  every  sense  of  the  v^ord,  prefer 
misery  to  its  opposite?  If  he  could,  he  was  a  mad- 
man ; — which  his  writings  and  history  prove  he  was 
not. 

If  he  was  no  impostor,  he  must  have  been  an  honest 
man  :  and,  that  being  admitted,  we  must  also  admit 
what  he  testifies  concerning  the  manner  and  copse- 
quences  of  his  conversion  ;  in  other  words  we  must  be- 
lieve the  gospel  to  be  true.  And  if  he  was  the  author 
of  those  epistles,  which,  ever  since  they  were  written 
have  borne  his  name  ;  and  if  he  taught  those  doctrines, 
which  the  physician  Luke,  his  fellow-traveller,  heard 
from  his  mouth,  and  has  recorded,  he  must  have  been 
no  frantic  or  weak  enthusiast,  but  a  person  of  good  un- 
derstanding, of  exemplary  virtue,  and  of  the  highest  at- 
tainments in  true  wisdom  ; — in  that  wisdom,  I  mean, 
'  which  is  from  above,'  and  which  tends  to  purify  our 
nature,  and  make  us  happy,  both  now,  and  for  ever. 
The  thirteenth  chapter  of  his  first  epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians, would  alone  prove  him  to  have  been  one  of  the 
best  and  wisest  men  that  ever  lived. 

I  said,  that  Paul,  if  he  was  not  an  impostor,  must 
have  been  an  honest  man;  and,  this  being  admitted, 
that  the  gospel  must  be  true.  If  indeed  it  could  be 
shown,  that  he  was  credulous,  and  that  before  his  con- 
version he  had  entertained  any  partiality  to  the  doc- 
trines and  character  of  Jesus,  it  might  seem  possible 
at  least,  though  no  doubt  very  improbable,  that  his 
passions  and  imagination  might  have  disordered  his 
judgment,  and  perverted  his  senses;  and,  therefore, 
that  the  circumstances  of  his  conversion,  though  be- 
lieved by  him  to  be  real,  might  have  been  visionary. 
Well :  was  he  a  credulous  man  ?  Or  had  he  any  par- 
tiality of  this  kind  ? 

So  far  was  he  from  being  credulous,  that  all  he  had 
heard  of  our  Lord's  miracles  (for  he  must  have  heard 
of  them,  and  from  eye-witnesses  too,)  had  no  weight 
with  him ;  and  nothing  could  overcome  his  incredu- 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUF.  4*5 

Uty,  but  a  niiraclc  wrought  upon  himself: — wrought, 
not  hi  darkness  or  in  sohtudc,  or  at  a  time,  when  any  thing 
had  happened,  to  enl'eeble  or  depress  his  mind,  but  at 
noon-day,  in  the  pubHe  highway,  in  the  midst  of  his  ad* 
herents,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  great  town,  and 
tvhile  he  himself  was  employed,  as  he  firmly  believed, 
in  the  service  of  God,  and  of  his  country.  And  so  far 
was  he  from  entertaining  any  partiality  to  the  Christian 
cause,  that,  till  this  miracle  was  wrought  for  his  con- 
version, he  looked  upon  Jesus  as  an  impostor  and  blas- 
phemer, and  upon  the  disciples,  as  a  set  of  men,  whom 
it  w^as,  in  the  highest  degree,  meritorious  to  persecute 
and  destroy. 

In  some  of  his  epistles,  addressed  to  churches  he  had 
planted,  we  find  him  declaring,  as  a  thing  which  they 
knew  to  be  true,  that  he  was  endowed  with  the  power 
of  working  miracles,  and  had  actually  wrought  many. 
If  the  fact  had  been  otherwise,  would  he  have  hazarded 
such  a  declaration,  in  writing  to  a  people,  among  \vhom 
he  knew  he  had  personal  opposers,  and  whom  he  was 
reproving  for  several  irregularities*?  And  if  the  fact 
was  so,-— if  he  really  w^as  a  worker  of  miracles,  as  well 
as  a  preacher  of  the  purest  and  sublimest  morality^ 
must  we  not  consider  him,  as  in  a  very  peculiar  man- 
ner, and  in  a  very  high  degree,  llivoured  by  that  Being, 
who  is  the  giver  of  every  good  and  of  ever\^  perfect 
gift?-— They,  who  believe  in  God^  and  candidly  weigh. 
all  these  circumstances,  will  not  object  to  St.  Paul's  ve- 
racity. And  if  that  which  he  testifies  concerning  him^ 
self  be  true,  it  is  absolutely  impossible  that  die  gospel 
cim  be  false. 

Indeed,  the  conversion  of  this  great  man,  and  his 
conduct,  both  before  and  after  he  became  an  apostle,  do 
alone  amount  to  such  a  proof  of  our  religion,  as  can- 
not be  overtl-rown ; — -in  any  other  way,  than  by  proving 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  the  subsequent  epistlesy 
to  be  fiction  and  forgery.  The  reader  will  find  a  tuli,  an 
elegant,  and,  1  think,  an  unanswerable   illustration,  cf 

*  See  Butler's  analogy,  part  2,  chap.  7. 
VOL.  ii.  3  li, 


^6  l]ll1i  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

this  argument,  in  Lord  Lyttleton's  Remarks  on  the  cori- 
version  of  St,  Paul. 

And  now,  to  conclude  this  part  of  the  subject,—*^ 
Let  them,  who  are  acquainted  wivli  the  history  of  our 
Saviour,  attend  to  it  ever  so  sHghtly,  and  then  say,  what 
regard  is  due  to  the  judgment  of  those,  who  talk  of 
electricity  and  magnetism,  as  principles  in  nature,  ca- 
pable of  exalting  the  man  who  imderstands  them  into 
a  worker  of  miracles.  Will  magnetism  or  electricity, 
or  any  other  natural  principle  that  can  be  mentioned^ 
enable  the  person  who  is  skilled  in  it  to  raise  himself  or 
others  from  the  dead;  to  cure  diseases  by  speaking  a 
word;  to  foretel  future  events;  to  make  a  few  loaves 
and  fishes  a  sufficient  meal  for  five  thousand  men;  to 
publish  a  system  of  morality  more  perfect  than  any 
other,  that  ever  was  in  the  world ;  to  impart  to  other  men 
the  power  of  working  miracles^  and  particularly,  of 
speaking  languages  they  had  never  learned?  We  have 
heard  of  making  the  agitation  of  water  subside  by  pour- 
ing oil  on  it ;  Plutarch  mentions  this  as  a  v»^ell  known 
fact,  quotes  Aristotle's  reason  for  it,  and  gives  another 
of  his  own* ;  and  of  late  it  is  said  to  have  been  proved 
by  experiment;  but  who  will  undertake  to  calm  the  sea 
by  uttering  a  word! 

They,  who  compare  the  meekness  and  benevolence^ 
the  candour  and  modesty,  the  power  and  the  dignity,  of 
our  Saviour,  with  the  craft,  secrecy,  and  ostentation  of 
a  juggler,  (one  trembles  even  to  think  of  the  compari- 
son,) and  find  no  material  difference  between  the  migh- 
ty works  of  the  one,  and  the  petty  tricks  of  the  other, 
are  far  beyond  the  reach  of  argument,  and  must,  on  this 
subject  at  least,  be  absolutely  irrational.  As  well  might 
they  say,  that  the  juggler,  because  he  can  shift  a  card, 
or  manage  an  easy  calculation,  must  have  the  command 
of  nature,  and  the  power  of  changing  death  into  life. 
The  clown,  who  should  say  so,  Avould  be  laughed  at 
for  his  credulity  and  ignorance.  What  then  shall  wc 
r»iiik  of  the  philosopher,  who,  in  his  judgment  of  ouf 


*  p 


Plur.  N^t^Quacst.  \%r 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  A%7 

Saviour's  miracles,  shows  himself  equally  ignorant  luid 
credulous.^ 

Lastly;  the  apostles  found  themselves  endowed, 
agreeably  to  their  Lord's  prediction,  with  the  power  of 
working  such  miracles  as  he  had  wrought.  They  saw 
the  lame  walk,  the  living  drop  down  dead,  and  the  dead 
arise  to  life,  at  their  command.  They  felt  themselves 
on  a  sudden  enabled  to  speak  a  variety  of  languages 
they  had  never  learned ;  a  talent  which,  in  the  course  of 
their  ministry,  they  must  have  had  frequent  occasion  to 
exercise.  In  this,  is  it  probable,  is  it  possible,  that  they 
could  be  mistaken? 

Their  faith,  therefore,  w^as  the  effect,  not  of  weak- 
ness, butof  WELL-GROUNDED  CONVICTION,  CoX- 
SEC^UENTLY,  THEIR   TESTIMONY   IS   TRUE. 


SECTION  IV. 

THE   SUBJECT   CONTINUED, 

The  exeellency  and  singular  nature  of  Christianity,  a 
proof  of  its  truth. 

At  was  hinted,  that  the  other  evidences  of  our  reli- 
gion may  be  greatly  confirmed  by  the  consideration  of 
its  singular  nature,  and  by  the  peculiar  excellency  of 
the  knowledge  w^e  derive  from  it.  For,  if  it  shall  be 
found  to  have  made  its  way  in  the  world,  in  opposition 
to  human  power,  and  by  more  than  human  means;  if 
its  excellency  be  such  as  to  transcend  the  noblest  cftbrts 
of  human  wisdom;  and  if,  in  its  purity  and  tendency, 
it  be  altogether  worthy  of  God;  we  must,  I  think,  as- 
s\v:n  it  a  divine  orisrinal. 

Some  things  pertaining  to  this  part  of  the  subjeot; 
have  been  mentioned  already.  But,  in  a  disquisition 
of  this  sort,  in  which  the  evidence  hangs  so  closely  to- 
gether, that  scarce  any  one  p-.ut  of  it  can  be  trcpted  sep- 


428  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

arate  from  the  rest,  a  few  repetitions  will  be  pardoned, 
because  it  is  not  easy  to  avoid  them. 

Never  was  there  on  earth  any  other  person  of  so  ex- 
traordinary a  character,  as  the  Founder  of  our  reUgion. 
In  him  we  uniformly  see  a  mildness,  dignity,  and  com- 
posure, and  a  perfection  of  wisdom  and  of  goodness,  that 
plainly  point  him  out  as  a  superior  being.  But  his  su- 
periority was  all  in  his  own  divine  mind.  He  had  none 
of  those  outward  advantages,  that  hare  distinguished 
all  other  lawgivers.  He  had  no  influence  in  the  state ; 
he  had  no  wealth ;  he  aimed  at  no  Vvorldly  power.  He 
Avas  the  son  of  a  carpenter's  wife,  and  he  was  him- 
self  a  carpenter.  So  poor  were  his  reputed  parents, 
that  at  the  time  of  his  birth,  his  mother  could  obtain  no 
better  lodging  than  a  stable :  and  so  poor  was  he  him- 
self, that  he  often  had  no  lodging  at  all.  That  he  had 
no  advantages  of  education,  we  may  infer  from  the  sur- 
prise expressed  by  his  neighbours,  on  hearing  him  speak 
in  the  synagogue :  '  Whence  hath  this  man  these  things ? 

*  What  wisdom  is  this  which  is  given  him?  Is  not  this 
'  the  carpenter,  the  son  of  Mary  ?  Are  not  his  brethren 

*  and  sisters  with  us?'  This  point,  however,  we  need 
not  insist  on ;  as  from  no  education,  tliat  his  own  or  any 
other  country  could  have  afforded,  was  it  possible  for 
him  to  derive  that  supernatural  wisdom  and  power,  that 
vsanctity  of  life,  and  that  purity  of  doctrine,  which  dis- 
tinguish him  from  all  other  human  beings.  His  first  ad- 
herents were  a  few  fishermen  ;  for  whom  he  was  so  far 
from  making  any  provision,  that,  when  he  sent  them 
out  to  preach  repentance,  and  heal  diseases,  they  were, 
by  his  desire,  furnished  with  nothing,  but  one  coat,  a 
pair  of  sandals,  and  a  staff.  He  went  about,  in  great 
humility  and  meekness,  doing  good,  teaching  wisdom, 
and  glorifying  God,  ibr  the  space  of  about  three  years, 
after  the  commencement  of  his  ministry;  and  then,  as 
he  himself  had  foreseen  and  foretold,  he  was  publicly 
crucified. — This  is  the  man,  who  at  this  day,  gives  law* 
to  a  great  part  of  the  world,  and  to  all  the  most  en- 
lightened nations.  This  is  the  man,  who  has  been  the 
author  of  virtue  and  happiness  to  miilionSj  and  miliions 


^HE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  429 

of  the  human  race.  And  this  is  he,  whom  the  wisest 
and  best  men  that  ever  lived  have  reverenced  as  a  di- 
vine person,  and  gloried  in,  as  the  Deliverer  and  Sa- 
viour of  mankind. 

In  all  this  is  there  nothing  extraordinary,  nothing 
that  seems  to  require  the  operation  of  more  than  hu- 
man wisdom,  and  more  than  human  powxr  ?  We  have 
heard  of  great  events  proceeding  from  small  causes ; 
but  in  general  we  can  trace  the  connection  between 
them,  and  account  for  it  from  the  common  principles 
that  regulate  human  affairs.  But  here,  supposing  Je- 
sus to  liave  been  nothing  more  than  a  mere  man,  and 
no  other  tlian  human  means  to  have  been  employed  in 
promulgating  and  supporting  his  religion ;  the  cause 
and  the  effect  are  utterly  inadequate,  and  the  influence 
of  the  one  upon  the  other  perfectly  unintelligible. 

This  religion,  taught  at  first  by  a  few  obscure,  un- 
lettered, and  persecuted  men,  most  of  M^iom  were  put 
to  death  for  no  other  reason,  but  because  they  taught  it, 
was  in  a  very  short  tin^  spread  over  part  of  Asia,  and  a 
great  part  of  Europe;  notwithstanding  the  bloody  per- 
secutions which  it  had  to  encounter,  from  Nero  to  Di- 
oclesian.  Think  of  the  power  engaged  to  bear  it  down, 
and  that  by  which  it  was  to  be  supported  ;  and  can  there 
be  any  doubt,  that  truth,  and  miracles,  and  the  protec- 
tion of  heaven,  must  have  been  on  its  side  ?  Was  any 
other  religion  ever  introduced  in  this  manner ;  The  Ma- 
hometan was  brought  in  by  a  commander  at  the  head  of 
a  victorious  army,  and  in  a  part  of  the  world  which  has 
never,  in  any  age  been  distinguished  for  liberty  or  lite- 
rature :  nay,  to  this  day,  slavery  and  ignorance  are  the 
inseparable  attendants  of  the  religion  of  Mahomet.  The 
Jewish  was  established  in  one  small  nation  only,  and 
had,  for  its  apparent  author,  the  greatest  man  of  that  na- 
tion, and  met  there  with  no  considerable  opponent ; 
which,  by  the  by,  considering  its  burdensome  ceremo- 
nies, could  hardly  have  happened,  and,  we  are  sure,  did 
not  happen,  without  the  aid  of  miracles.  The  pagan 
religions  were  a  sort  of  political  institutions,  adapted  to 
tlie  ignorance  and  credulity  of  thoiie  who  received  them ; 


4Zi)  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE; 

so  that  they  had  no  opposition  either  to  suffer  or  to  fear  2 
nor  indeed  do  they  seem  to  have  been  considered  as  of 
moment  enough  to  excite  serious  controversy,  far  less 
to  kindle  persecution.  No  man  ever  laid  down  his  life 
for  the  honour  of  Jupiter,  Neptune,  or  Apollo  :  but 
how  many  thousands  have  sealed  their  Christian  testi- 
mony with  their  blood! 

Another  singularity  in  our  religion  is,  that  it  has  been 
more  spoken  against  than  any  other.  Every  part  of  its 
evidence  has  been  repeatedly  examined,  objected  to, 
and  vindicated.  Equally  friendly  to  freedom  and  true 
philosophy,  v/herever  it  has  existed  in  any  tolerable  pu- 
rity, it  has  raised  the  attention  of  inquisitive  men  ;  the 
greatest  philosophers  that  ever  lived  have  enquired  into 
it,  and  found  it  true;  and  the  utmost  acuteness  of  so- 
phistry, has  been  employed  to  prove  it  false.  What  is 
the  consequence  of  all  this  ?  It  is,  that  the  evidence  of 
our  faith  remains  at  this  day,  as  clear  and  complete,  as 
it  has  been  in  any  age  since  that  of  the  apostles  and 
their  immediate  successors.  Light  minds,  from  inat- 
tention or  ignorance;  profligate  minds,  from  a  dislike 
to  its  purity ;  and  vain  minds,  out  of  ostentation,  and 
from  the  love  of  singularity,  may  have  apostatised  from 
it :  but  tl^  Christian,  who  has  made  it  his  study,  and 
knows  the  reason  of  the  faith  that  is  in  him,  will  not 
admit  that  any  argument  has  ever  been  brought  against 
it,  which  has  not  been  refuted."  Can  this  be  said  of  any 
other  religion,  or  of  any  system  of  unchristian  opinions, 
that  ever  was  heard  of?  Nay,  I  trust  there  are,  and  I 
believe  it  will  not  be  doubted  that  there  are,  many  thou- 
sands of  learned  and  rational  Christians,  who,  if  they 
were  called  to  so  severe  a  trial,  would  cheerfully  lay 
down  their  lives  for  the  honour  of  God  and  their  Re- 
deemer. Is  the  zeal  and  sincerity  of  the  unbeliever 
equally  to  be  depended  on?  Would  any  disciple  of  Bo- 
lingbroke,  Hume,  or  Voltaire,  suffer  martyrdom  in  the 
cause  of  his  master. 

These  singularities  in  the  fate  and  fortune  of  Chris- 
tianity, seem  to  show,  that  it  could  not  have  either  been 
so  generally  known,  or  so  long  existed,  if  it  had  not 


THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE.  4.S1 

been  supported  by  means  more  than  human.  There 
are  m  it  other  singularities,  which  prove,  that  it  deserv- 
ed to  be  so  supported,  and  that  it  eould  not  have  been 
the  work  of  mere  human  wisdom. 

The  evidence  arising  from  these,  has  been  called  its 
Internal  Evidence  ;  and  is,  in  the  opinion  of  some  learn- 
ed men,  so  great  that  scarce  any  other  is  necessary  to 
prove  our  religion  to  be  from  Iieaven. 

For  first,  the  morality  of  the  gospel  gives  it  an  infinite 
superiority  over  all  systems  of  doctrines  that  ever  were 
devised  by  man.  Were  our  lives  and  opinions  to  be 
regulated  as  it  prescribes,  nothing  would  be  wanting 
to  make  us  happy:  there  would  be  no  injustice,  no 
impiety,  no  disorderly  passions ;  harmony  and  love 
would  universally  prevail,  every  man,  content  with  his 
lot,  resigned  to  the  divine  will,  and  fully  persuaded  that 
SL  happy  eternity. is  before  him,  would  pass  his  days  in 
tranquility  and  joy,  to  which,  neither  anxiety,  nor  pain, 
nor  even  the  fear  of  death,  could  ever  give  any  inter- 
ruption. The  best  systems  of  pagan  ethicks  are  very 
imperfect,  and  not  free  from  absurdity ;  and  in  them 
are  recommended,  modes  of  thinking  unsuitable  to  hu- 
man nature,  and  modes  of  conduct,  which,  though  they 
might  have  been  useful  in  a  political  view,  did  not  tend 
to  virtue  and  happiness  universal.  But  of  all  our  Lord's 
institutions  the  end  and  aim  is,  to  promote  the  happi- 
ness, by  promoting  the  virtue,  of  all  mankind. 

And  secondly  ;  his  peculiar  doctrines  are  not  like 
any  thing  of  human  contrivance.  *  Ne^er  man  spake 
like  this  man.'  One  of  the  first  names  given  to  that 
dispensation  of  things  which  he  came  to  introduce 
was  t/ie  kingdom^  or  the  reign,  of  heaven.  It  was  justly 
so  called  ;  being  thus  distinguished,  not  only  from  the 
religion  of  Moses,  the  sanctions  whereof  related  to  the 
present  life,  but  also  from  every  human  scheme  of  mo- 
ral, political,  or  ecclesiastical  legislation. 

The  views  of  the  heathen  moralist  extended  not  be- 
yond this  world ;  those  of  the  Christian  are  fixed  on 
that  which  is  to  come.  The  former  was  concerned  for 
his  own  country  only,  or  chiefly ;  the  latter  takes  con- 


^  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

ceni  in  the  happiness  of  all  men,  of  all  nations,  condi^ 
tions,  and  capacities.  A  few,  and  but  a  few  of  the  an^ 
cient  philosophers,  spoke  of  a  future  state  of  retribution 
as  a  thing  desirable  and  not  improbable ;  revelation 
speaks  of  it  as  certain  ;  and  of  the  present  life,  as  a  state 
of  trial,  wherein  virtue  or  holiness  is  necessary,  not  only 
to  entitle  us  to  that  salvation,  which,  through  the  mercy 
of  God,  and  the  merits  of  his  Son,  Christians  are  taught 
to  look  for,  but  also  to  prepare  us,  by  habits  of  piety 
and  benevolence,  for  a  reward,  which  none  but  the 
pure  in  heart,  can  receive,  or  could  relish. 

The  duties  of  piety,  as  far  as  the  heart  is  concerned, 
were  not  much  attended  to  by  the  heathen  lawgiver. 
Cicero  coldly  ranks  them  with  the  social  virtues,  and 
says  very  little  about  them.  The  sacrifices  were  mere 
ceremony.  And  what  the  Stoics  taught  of  resignation 
to  the  will  of  heaven,  or  to  the  decrees  of  fate,  was  so 
repugnant  to  some  of  their  other  tenets,  that  little  good 
could  be  expected  from  it.  But  of  every  Christian, 
virtue,  piety  is  an  essential  part.  The  love  and  the  fear 
of  God  must  every  moment  prevail  in  the  heart  of  a 
follower  of  Jesus  ;  and  whether  he  eats  or  drinks,  or 
whatever  he  does,  it  must  be  all  to  the  glory  of  the  Cre- 
ator. How  different  this  from  the  philosophy  of  Greece 
and  Rome ! 

In  a  word,  the  heathen  morality,  eve?i  in  its  bestform^ 
that  is,  as  two  or  three  of  their  best  philosophers  taught 
it,  amounts  to  little  more  than  this  :  Be  useful  to  your- 
selves, your  friends,  and  your  country  :  so  shall  ye  be 
respectable  while  ye  live,  and  honoured  when  ye  die ; 
and  it  is  to  hoped  ye  may  receive  reward  in  another 
life.  The  language  of  the  Christian  lawgiver  is  different* 
The  world  is  not  worthy  of  the  ambition  of  an  immor- 
tal being.  Its  honoiu's  and  pleasures  have  a  tendency 
to  debase  the  mind  and  disqualify  it  for  future  happi^ 
ness.  Set  therefore  your  affections  on  things  above^ 
and  not  on  things  on  the  earth.  Let  it  be  your  supreme 
desire  to  obtain  God's  favour :  and  by  a  course  of  dis- 
cipline, begun  here,  and  to  be  compleated  hereafter^ 
prepare  }'oursehTs  for  a  re-admission  into  that  rank 


THE  GOSPEL  HISIORY  IS  TRUE.  4'?3 

which  was  forfeited  by  the  fall,  and  for  again  be in^^  but 
a  little  lower  than  the  angels,  and  crowned  with  glory 
and  honour  everlasting. 

AVhat  an  idea  is  here  !  Is  there  any  thing  like  this 
in  Xenophon  or  Plato,  in  Cicero,  Seneca,  or  Epicte- 
tus  ?  *  Whence  had  this  man  these  things  ?  What 
wisdom  is  this  that  was  given  him  ?  Surely  man  gave 
it  not ;  for  man  hud  it  not  to  give.  This  is  an  idea, 
which  never  occurred  to  human  ima^'ination  till  it 
was  taught  by  a  poor  carpenter  of  Galilee,  and  by  ii 
few  fishermen  who  followed  him.  Yet  to  the  native 
dignity,  and  undeniable  degeneracy  of  human  nature, 
no  other  moral  theory  was  ever  so  well  adapted ;  and 
no  other  has  so  direct  a  tendency  to  promote  the  glo- 
ry of  God,  and  the  real  good  of  mankind.  Is  it  possi- 
ble^ to  explain  this  upon  the  principles  that  usually  re- 
gulate human  affairs  ?  Is  it  possible  for  us  to  believe, 
that  teachers  so  holy,  so  benevolent,  and  so  pious,  so 
superior  to  the  world,  and  so  thoroughly  disengaged 
from  its  allurements,  were  not  taught  of  God  ?  As  eas\ 
almost  it  is  to  believe,  that  this  world  was  not  made  by 
him.  Is  it  possible  for  us  to  imagine,  that  persons  of 
such  a  character  could  have  employed  their  lives  in  the 
promulgation  of  a  lie,  and  willingly  encountered  perse- 
cution and  death,  in  support  of  it  ?  As  ^vell  may  Ave 
imagine,  that  an  evil  tree  brings  forth  good  fruit,  and 
that  men  gather  grapes  from  thorns,  and  figs  from  this- 
tles. 

But  had  not  the  prophets  prophesied  of  Christ  and 
his  gospel,  and  its  character  and  tendency?  And  if  so, 
how  can  it  be  said,  that  no  such  thing  had  ever  before 
occurred  to  human  imagination  ? — It  is  true  that  the 
prophets  had  prophecied  these  things  ;  but,  though  they 
foretold^  it  is  not  certain  that  they  Jbresaiv  them.  On. 
the  contrary,  there  is  reason  to  think,  that  if  they  had 
distinctly  understood  what  they  predicted,  they  would 
have  expressed  it  in  plainer  and  less  figurative  lan- 
guage ;  or  at  least,  that  they  would  have  left  traditions 
behind  them,  which,  in  after  times,  among  people  so  te- 
nacious of  tradition  as  the  Jews  were,  might  have  served 

VOL.  ii.  3  I 


434'  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

as  a  key  to  those  sacred  writinp^s.  It  was  enough  for 
the  prophets  to  know  that  they  had  authority  to  speak 
what  they  spoke,  or  to  commit  to  writing  what  the  Spi- 
rit suggested  :  to  explain  it  to  the  people,  or  to  inquire 
themselves  into  the  meaning  of  it,  was  probably  no  part 
of  their  business.  And  it  must  be  as  easy  for  divine 
power  to  make  prophets  foretel  without  foresight,  as  to 
enable  them  both  to  foretel  and  to  foresee. 

After  all,  it  must  be  owned,  that  this  argument  for 
Christianity,  drawn  from  the  peculiar  excellency  of  its 
doctrines,  cannot  appear  equally  striking  to  all  men.— 
They  only  will  see  it  in  its  full  lustre,  who  are  conver- 
sant in  Holy  Writ,  and  have  a  pretty  distinct  view  of 
the  whole  extent  of  Christian  theology,  whereof  I  can- 
not, in  so  small  a  tract  as  this,  propose  to  give  even  an 
abridgment.  To  Mr.  Jenyn's  View  of  the  internal  evi- 
dence of  Christianity,  in  which  many  ingenious  obser- 
vations, though  all  are  not  unexceptionable,  I  beg  leave 
to  refer  the  reader  ;  and  shall  conclude  this  part  of  my 
subject  with  a  remark  or  two. 

What  an  elevation  must  it  give  to  our  pious  affec- 
tions, to  contemplate  the  Supreme  Being,  and  his  Pro- 
vidence, as  revealed  to  us  in  Scripture  !  We  are  there 
taught,  that  man  was  created  in  the  image  of  God,  inno- 
cent, and  happy  :  and  that  he  had  no  sooner  fallen  into 
sin,  than  his  Creator,  instead  of  abandoning  him,  and 
his  offspring  to  the  natural  consequences  of  his  disobe- 
dience, and  of  their  hereditary  depravity,  was  pleased  to 
begin  a  wonderful  dispensation  of  grace,  in  order  to  re- 
scue from  perdition  and  raise  again  to  happiness,  as 
many  as  should  acquiesce  in  the  terms  of  the  offered 
salvation,  and  reg-ukite  their  lives  accordingly. 

By  the  sacred  books,  that  contain  the  history  of  this 
dispensation,  we  are  further  taught,  that  God  is  a  Spi- 
rit, unchangeable,  and  eternal,  universally  present,  and 
absolutely  perfect ;  that  it  is  our  duty  to  fear  him  as  a 
being  of  consummate  purity,  and  inflexibly  justice,  and 
to  ioye  him  as  the  fadier  of  mercies,  and  the  God  of  all 
consolation :  to  trust  in  liim,  as  the  friend,  the  com- 
forter, and  the  almighty  guardian  of  all  who  believe  and 


THE  GOSPEL  lilSTORV  IS  TRUE.  4S5 

obey  him  ;  to  rejoice  in  him,  as  the  best  of  beini^s,  and 
adore  him  as  the  greatest : — we  are  taught,  that  he  will 
make  allowance  for  the  frailties  of  our  nature,  and  par- 
don the  sins  of  those  who  repent : — and,  that  we  may 
sec,  in  the  strongest  light,  his  peculiar  benignity  to  the 
human  race,  we  are  taught,  that  he  gave  his  only  Son 
as  our  ransom  and  deliverer ;  and  we  are  not  only  per- 
mitted, but  commanded,  to  pray  to  him,  and  address 
him  as  our  Father  : — we  are  taught,  moreover,  that 
the  evils  incident  to  this  state  of  trial,  are  permitted  by 
him,  in  order  to  exercise  our  virtue,  and  so  prepare  us 
for  a  future  state  of  never-endino;  felicitv ;  and  that 
these  momentary  afflictions  are  pledges  of  his  paternal 
icve,  and  shall,  if  we  receive  them  as  such,  and  venerate 
them  accordingly,  work  out  for  us  '  an  exceeding  great 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory.'  If  these  hopes  and  these 
sentiments  contribute  more  to  our  happiness,  and  to 
the  purification  of  our  nature,  than  any  thing  else  in  the 
world  caji  do,  surely  that  religion,  to  which  alone  we 
owe  these  sentiments  and  hopes,  must  be  the  greatest 
blessing  that  ever  was  conferred  on  the  posteritj'  ol 
Adam. 

And  is  it,  after  ail,  but  a  mere  human  contrivance; 
the  invention  of  mean  and  illiterate  men,  who  lived,  and 
who  died,  in  the  voluntary  promulgation  of  fafsehood  ? 
To  what  other  human  artifice  does  this  bear  any  resem- 
blance  ?  Does  not  this  religion  as  plainly  prove  itself 
to  be  the  work  of  a  wise  and  gracious  God,  as  the  ab- 
surdity  of  the  pagan  superstitions  proves  them  to  have 
been  the  work  of  weak  and  wretched  men  ? 

To  the  great  end  of  improving,  renewing,  and  j)er- 
fectmg  our  whole  nature,  no  invention  of  man  could 
ever  have  been  adapted  ;  that  being  an  idea  which  could 
never  have  occurred  to  mere  human  wisdouK  and  wiiich 
if  it  had  occurred,  would  have  been  deemed  an  irnpos- 
sibiiity.  But  to  this  great  end,  so  worthy  of  God,  and 
so  honourable  to  man,  our  religion  is  adapted  in  huch 
a  wav,  as  fills  the  humble  and  considerate  mind  with 
wonder  and  adoration  ;  and  w^ould  iifdced  raise  inex- 
pressible astonishment,  if  it  had  not  been  familiar  to  u^ 
troni  our  infancv. 


43d  THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY  IS  TRUE. 

Christianity  proposes  to  onr  imitation  the  highest  ex- 
amples of  benevolence,  purity,  and  piety.  It  shows, 
that  all  our  actions,  purposes,  and  thoughts,^  are  to  us 
of  infinite  importance  ;  their  consequences  being  no- 
thing less  than  happiness  or  misery  in  the  life  to  come ; 
and  thus  it  operates  most  powerfully  on  our  self-love. 
By  teaching,  that  all  mankind  are  brethren ;  by  com- 
manding us  to  love  our  neighbour  as  ourselves ;  and 
by  declaring  every  man  our  neighbour  to  whom  we 
have  it  in  our  power  to  do  good  ;  it  improves  benevo- 
lence to  the  highest  pitch.  By  prohibiting  revenge, 
malice,  pride,  vanity,  envy,  sensuality,  and  covetous- 
ness ;  and  by  requiring  us  to  foi  give,  to  pray  for,  and 
to  bless  our  enemies,  and  to  do  to  others  as  we  would 
that  they  should  do  to  us,  it  lays  a  restraint  on  every 
malevolent  and  turbulent  passion ;  and  reduces  the 
whole  of  social  virtue  to  tv/o  or  three  precepts  ;  so  brief, 
that  they  cannot  be  forgotten ;  so  plain,  that  they  can- 
not  be  misunderstood  ;  so  reasonable,  that  no  man 
of  sense  controverts  them ;  and  so  well  suited  to  hu- 
man nature,  and  human  affairs,  that  every  candid  mind 
may  easily,  and  on  all  occasions,  apply  them  to  prac- 
tice. 

Christianity  recommends  the  strictest  self-attention, 
by  this  awful  consideration,  that  God  is  continually 
present  with  us,  knows  what  we  think,  as  well  as  what 
Me  do,  and  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness,  and 
render  unto  every  man  according  to  his  works.  It  makes 
lis  consider  conscience,  as  his  voice  and  law  within  us  ; 
purity  of  heart,  as  that  which  alone  can  qualify  us  for 
the  enjoyment  of  future  reward  ;  and  mutual  love,  or 
charity,  as  that,  v/ithout  which  all  other  virtues  andac^ 
eomplishments  are  of  no  value  :  and  by  a  view  of  things 
peculiarly  striking,  it  causes  vice  to  appear  a  most  per- 
nicious and  abominable  thing,  which  cannot  escape 
punishment.  Purity  of  heart  it  still  further  recom- 
miended,  by  teaching  this  wonderful  doctrine  ;  that  evQi 
the  bodies  of  good  men  shall  at  last,  in  a  glorified  state, 
be  re-united  to  ^eir  souls,  and  made,  as  that  of  Adam 
originally  ^^-as,  immortal ;  and  that,   therefore  in  this 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  i^r 

life  of  general  probation,  they  must  Be  kept  free  from 
dishonour,  and,  instead  of  ministering  to  those  sensu- 
alities that  debase  our  nature,  be  employed  as  instru- 
ments in  doing  good. 

In  a  word,   Christianity,  as  Bishop  Taylor  well  ob- 

*  serves,  is  a  doctrine  in  which  nothing  is  superfluous 
'or  burdensome;  and  in  which  there  is  nothing  want- 
'  ing,  which  can  procure  happiness  to  mankind,  or  by 

*  which  God  can  be  glorified.  And  if,'  continues  he, 
'  wisdom,  and  mercy,  and  justice,  and  simplicity,  and 

*  holiness,  and  purity,  and  meekness,  and  contentedness, 

*  and  charity,  be  images  of  God,  and  rays  of  divinit}', 
'  then  that  doctrine,  in  which  all  these  shine  so  glorious- 

*  ly,  and  in  which  nothing  else  is  ingredient,  must  needs 

*  be  from  God*.' 

I  conclude  the  chapter  in  the  following  words  of  the 
same  great  author.     *  If  the  holy  Jesus  had  come  into 

*  the  \^'orld  with  less  splendour  of  power  and  mighty 

*  demonstrations,  yet  the  excellency  of  what  he  taught 
'  makes  him  alone  fit  to  be  the  master  of  the  world*' 


CHAPTER  III. 

OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

JL  HE  advocate  for  Christianity  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  peculiar  tenets  of  Luther,  Calvin,  or  Bellarmine, 
or  with  any  other  system  which  is  liable  to  be  tinctured 
with  human  infirmity:  his  business  is,  to  vindicate  '  the 
'truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.'  I  do  not  therefore  think  my- 
self concerned  to  answer  any  objection  of  those  wri- 
ters, \\'ho  mistake  the  corruptions  of  Christianity  for 
Christianity  itself.  They  who  persecute,  or  hate,  or 
even  judge  uncharitably  of  others,  act  in  direct  oppo- 

*  Mora!  Demonstration  of  the  Truth  of  the  Christian  Religion. 


438  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED 

sition  to  the  plainest,  and  indeed,  to  the  essential  doc- 
trines of  the  gospel :  and  every  church  that  encourages 
cruelty,  injustice,  or  uncharitablencss,  in  any  degree, 
is  in  the  same  degree  unchristian. 

But,  why  should  Christianity  be  liable  to  corruption? 
Would  not  the  power  and  goodness  of  God  have  ap- 
peared in  it  more  conspicuously,  if  he  had  made  it  in- 
susceptible of  debasement  or  change?  Totally  to  de- 
base or  alter  it,  is  indeed  impossible,  as  long  as  the  sa- 
cred records  remain:  to  which  all  sects  of  Christians 
appeal  as  their  standard  of  faith,  and  which  their  mu- 
tual jealousy  of  each  other  will  never  suffer  to  be  ma- 
terially corrupted.  But  every  thing  must  be  liable  to 
debasement,  which  is  entrusted  to  a  creature  so  frail  and 
fallible  as  man.  What  is  more  debased,  or  more  per-, 
verted,  than  health  and  speech  ?  Yet  it  will  not  be  said, 
that  the  divine  goodness  and  power,  would  have  ap- 
peared more  conspicuously  in  us,  if  we  had  all  been 
sickly  and  dumb.  In  every  state  of  moral  probation 
error  must  be  possible,  and  evil  must  exist. 

But,  beside  the  general  principle  of  debasement 
arising  from  the  frailty  of  our  nature,  other  causes 
of  a  more  particular,  and  indeed  of  an  extraordinary 
kind,  co-operated,  soon  after  the  apostolic  age,  in  cor- 
rupting the  Christian  religion.  Was  it  possible,  tliat 
its  gentle  influence  could  check  the  progress  of  that 
ruin,  into  which  the  enormous  mass  of  the  Roman  pow- 
er was  then  rushing  headlong;  or  prevent  the  confu- 
sion, the  crimes,  and  the  universal  degeneracy  of  man- 
ners, which  always  attend  the  fall  of  empire,  and  did  so 
remarkably  distinguish  that  of  the  Roman  ?  And  amidst 
the  savage  uproar  of  the  conquering  invaders  from  the 
north,  was  it  possible,  that  the  soft  accents  of  the  gos- 
pel of  peace  could  be  heard  with  eHicacy,  or  heard  at 
all?  Then  followed  that  long  night  ot  intellectual  dark- 
ness, threatening  the  final  extinction  of  every  ray  of 
knowledo'C,  that  had  hitherto  enlig-litened  the  sons  of 
men.  And,  from  this  chaos  of  ignorance,  was  it  pos- 
sible to  exclude  the  fiends  of  superstition,  or  those 
Other  sanguinary  demons  of  rapacity  and  cruelty,  which 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  43? 

never  fail  to  haunt  the  uncultivated  mind?  It  cannot 
be  matter  of  surprise,  that,  in  these  circumstances,  a  re- 
ligion founded  in  peace,  in  right  reason,  and  in  the  pur- 
est morality,  should  first  be  neglected,  then  misunder- 
stood, and  afterwards  grossl}'  corrupted ;  and  that,  from 
being  made  subservient  to  the  purposes  of  human,  and 
often  of  barbarous  policy,  it  should,  in  its  corrupted 
state,  contract  many  stains  of  barbarism,  and  much  of 
the  pride  and  vanity,  and  other  follies  of  human  nature. 
In  fact,  in  the  course  of  a  few  centuries,  Christianity 
had  lost  its  beauty,  and  purifying  virtue,  and,  like 
a  stream  choaked  with  rubbish,  if  the  reader  will  par- 
don the  figure,  presented  an  image  of  danger  and  deso- 
lation, rather  than  of  utility  and  comfort.  But  though 
the  waters  were  polluted,  the  fountain  was  not  dried  up. 
And,  by  the  gradual  operation  of  causes,  some  more, 
and  others  less  observable,  when  obstructions  began  at 
last  to  give  way,  and  the  channel  to  open,  this  river  of 
life  again  broke  forth  in  a  copious  and  sprightly  cur- 
rent ;  which,  though  not  yet  every  where  free  from  re- 
straint, nor  in  any  nation  restored  to  its  primitive  pu- 
rity, will,  in  time,  it  is  hoped,  diffuse  itself  by  the  di- 
vine blessing,  into  all  lands,  and,  in  its  progress, 

Work  itself  cleaT*,  and,  as  it  runs,  refine  ; 
'1  ill  by  degrees  the  floating  mirror  shine. 
Reflect  the  flowers  that  on  its  border  blow, 
And  heaven's  own  light  in  its  fair  bosom  show. 

For,  to  drop  the  allegory,  whatever  other  changes  may 
happen,  we  have  nothing  nowto  apprehend  similar  to  the 
Gothic  invasions,  or  to  that  extinction  of  literature 
which  attended  and  followed  them.  As  the  world  is 
now  coiistituted,  learning  and  liberal  inquiry  are  likely 
to  prevail  in  it  more  and  more.  And,  as  these  prevail, 
ignorance  and  tyranny,  sophistry  and  superstition,  which 
have  hitherto  been  the  most  deadly  enemies  of  both 
Christain  faith  and  true  philosophy,  will,  in  the  same 
proportion,  lose  their  infiuence.     i3ut  to  return. 


440  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

To  confute  all  the  cavils  of  unbelief,  would  be  end- 
less ;  and,  to  enter  very  minutely  into  the  detail  of  them 
would  extend  this  little  work  to  a  size,  which  might 
discourage  from  reading  it  those  for  whom  it  was  in- 
tended. I  confine  myself,  therefore,  to  those  objec- 
tions, chiefly,  which  I  have  heard  in  conversation,  and 
which  seem  to  me  most  likely  to  draw  the  attention, 
and  pervert  the  minds  of  young  persons.  And,  of  these 
objections,  several  have  been  considered  already. 

I.  The  number  of  unbelievers,  who  have  appeared 
in  this  and  other  ages^  and  the  learning  and  abilities  of 
some  of  them,  are,  I  find,  stumbling-blocks  to  many. 
But  let  it  be  remembered,  that  a  greater  number  might 
be  specified  of  believers,  still  more  distinguished  for 
learning,  candour,  and  penetration,  than  any  infidels  that 
can  be  named  of  this,  or  any  other  age.  Nor  let  it  be 
forgotten,  that  the  founders  of  our  religion  foretold,  that 
unbelievers  of  various  kinds,  and  of  considerable  abil- 
ities, would  arise :  so  that,  if  they  had  not  arisen,  seve- 
ral prophecies  in  the  New- Testament  would  not  have 
been  accomplished. 

But  passing  this ;  and  in  order  to  give  a  more  expli- 
cit answer  to  the  objection;  it  may  be  proper  to  consid- 
er, what,  from  the  declarations  of  our  Lord  himself,  as 
well  as  from  the  nature  of  the  thing,  may  be  inferred 
concerning  the  character  of  those  persons,  who  should 
be  capable  of  becoming  his  disciples.  For,  if  it  shall 
be  found,  that  there  are  infidels  who  have  not  that  char- 
acter, and  that  infidels  in  general  have  it  not,  their  unbe- 
lief is  a  proof  of  his  wisdom  and  foreknowledge,  and 
may  consequently  furnish  an  argument,  not  against  his 
religion,  but  for  it. 

II.  The  firstthing  necessary  to  qualify  the  human  mind 
for  receiving  this,  or  indeed,  any  other  doctrine,  is  at- 
tention. This  our  Lord  repeatedly  demanded :  '  he 
'  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear.'  The  mighty  works 
he  performed,  the  wonderful  things  he  spoke,  the  sanc- 
tity of  his  life,  the  benevolence  of  his  manners,  and  the 
authority  that  accompanied  his  teaching,  were  sufficient, 
one  would  think,  to  have  made  all  Syria  attend^  and  did 


OBJFXTIONS  ANSWERED.  441 

in  fact,  raise  the  attention  of  many.  And,  though  we 
see  no  miracles,  as  they  did,  nor  hear  the  voice  of  the 
divine  teacher,  yet  we  see,  we  hear,  and  we  read,  con- 
cerning him,  what  is  sufficient  to  make  every  one  of  us 
attend,  who  desires  to  know  the  truth,  and  his  duty.  The 
existence,  and  long  continuance  of  this  religion ;  its 
singular  nature  and  history;  and  the  learning,  abilities, 
and  virtues,  of  many  of  those  who  have  believed,  ought 
to  satisfy  every  considerate  mind,  that  there  is  some- 
thing extraordinary  in  it,  and  that  to  be  indift'erent  about 
it  may  be  very  dangerous. 

2.  But,  secondly,  in  order  to  know  *  the  truth  as  it  is 
*in  Jesus,'  we  must  not  only  attend,  but  also  inquire. 
Our  Saviour  often  taught  in  parables.  His  hearers,  if 
they  had  been  suitably  affected  by  his  miracles  aiid 
plainer  doctrines,  would  have  asked  the  meaning  of 
those  darker  sayings :  and  when  they  did  so,  with  a  sin- 
cere desire  of  information,  we  find,  that  he  always  gave 
it.  They  who  expressed  no  curiosity,  and  made  no 
inquiry,  he  permitted  to  remain  in  ignorance.  Was  this 
unreasonable  ?  He  came  to  call  sinners  to  repentance, 
but  not  to  compel  them.  Every  circumstance  consi- 
dered of  his  lite  and  doctrine,  his  benevolence,  his  pi- 
ety, his  power,  and  his  wisdom,  (whereof  the  Jews 
could  not  be  ignorant;)  did  not  this  want  of  curiosity 
amount  to  a  proof,  that  tlieir  hearts  were,  by  prejudice, 
and  other  bad  habits,  hardened  against  the  love  both  of 
God  and  of  man,  as  well  as  of  truth?  And,  is  it  possible, 
that  hearts  of  such  a  temper  should  voluntiuily  receive 
a  religion,  whereof  piety  and  benevolence,  or  (to  adopt 
the  scriptural  terms)  godliness  and  charity,  are  essential 
principles? 

Let  it  be  considered  further,  that,  till  our  curiosity 
with  respect  to  religion  be  so  far  raised,  as  to  incline 
us  to  study  the  Scriptures,  we  cannot  feel  the  force  of 
some  of  the  strongest  proofs  of  their  truth;  those  pai'- 
ticularly,  as  already  hinted,  that  arise  from  their  pecu- 
liar excellence,  and  from  prophecy.  And  theicfore  he, 
who  is  disposed  to  cavil  at  religion,  and  will  not  give 
himself  the  trouble  to  study  it,  must  necessarily  remain 

VOL.  lU  3  K 


U2  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

ignorant  and  sceptical.  Is  there  any  thing  strange  m 
this  ?  Suppose  a  father  to  desire  his  son  to  study  medi- 
cine ;  and  suppose  that  the  son,  from  prejudices  against 
it,  or  indifference  about  it,  will  not  attend,  either  to  what 
his  master  says,  or  to  the  books  he  recommends,  is  it 
possible  that  he  can  ever  become  a  physician,  or  get 
the  better  of  his  prejudices?  Will  the  careless  sceptic 
excuse  himself  by  saying,  *  I  need  not  read  the  Bible; 
'  I  know  from  Voltaire,  and  Hume,  and  Bolingbroke, 
*  what  Christianity  is  ?'  Then  let  him  be  told,  that  every 
one  of  the  persons  mentioned,  and  every  other  infi- 
del whose  writings  are  extant,  can  be  proved,  from  his 
own  books,  to  have  been  grossly  ignorant  of  Christi- 
anity. And  let  him  be  reminded  further,  that  to  ac- 
quiesce in  that  character  of  Jesus,  or  of  any  other  per- 
son, which  is  given  by  the  declared  and  mortal  enemy 
of  that  person,  is  no  sign  either  of  prudence  or  of  can- 
dour. 

But  I  have  looked,  he  will  perhaps  say,  into  creeds 
and  confessions,  which  are  said  to  contain  the  very  quint- 
€scence  of  Scripture;  and  they  are  not  at  all  to  my 
mind;  and  I  suppose  I  should  find  Scripture  itself  as 
little  so :  why  then  should  I  read  it?  I  answer,  suppos- 
ing those  creeds  and  confessions  unexceptionable,  which 
all  creeds  and  confessions  are  not;  yet  still  they  are 
abridgments,  and  to  him  who  is  not  conversant  in 
Scripture  iTmst  appear  abstruse,  and  hardly  intelligible. 
And  besides,  recurring  to  an  example  already  given, 
let  me  be  permitted  to  say,  that  if  any  man  were  vety 
much  interested  to  know  my  character,  and  had  the 
means  of  knowing  it  by  conversing  and  living  with  me, 
he  would,  if  he  were  either  honest  or  wise,  study  my- 
self, and  not  trust  implicitly  to  what  is  said  of  me,  ei- 
ther by  my  enemies,  or  by  my  friends.  We  are  com- 
manded to  search  the  Scriptures,  and  told  that  in  them 
we  shall  find  evidence  of  their  truth.  If  we  have  not 
done  so,  we  know  not  what  they  are :  if  we  will  not  do 
so,  we  never  can  know  it. 

3.  A  third  thing,  necessary  to  prepare  us  for  the  re- 
dLption  of  the  Christiiui  faith,  is,  a  lowiy  mind,  free 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  443 

from  prejudice,  and  willing  to  hear,  and  to  learn.  This 
our  Lord  often  declares,  *  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  who- 

*  soever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  lit- 

*  tie  child,  shall  in  no  wise  enter  therein:'  the  obvious 
meaning  whereof  is,  that  if  we  do  not  attend  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  gospel,  with  the  humility  and  teacha- 
bleness of  a  young  child,  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  be- 
lieve them,  A  yoimg  child  is  of  all  animals,  the  most 
unassuminc-and  docile.  He  is  not  inclined  to  cavil  at 
the  information  he  may  receive  from  an  affectionate  fa- 
ther. And  he  is  free  from  prejudice,  and  soon  l>ecomes 
sensible  of  his  own  weakness,  and  of  the  need  he  lias 
of  instruction  At  least,  if  this  is  not  true  of  every 
child,  it  is  certainlv  true  of  manv,  and  ousrht  to  be  of 
all.  When,  with  these  dispositions,  men  begin,  and 
carry  on  their  inquiries  into  Christianity,  they  will  not 
object  to  its  doctrine,  or  be  dissatisfied  with  its  evi- 
dence; but  will  adore  the  infinite  goodness  and  conde- 
scension of  the  Deity,  in  treating  them  as  his  children, 
and  permitting  them  to  call  him  their  father.  Is  it  too 
much,  to  require  of  Christians,  this  humility,  candour, 
and  exemption  from  prejudice?  It  is  no  more  than 
Newton  requires  of  every  one  who  would  study  phi- 
losophy: it  is  no  more  than  every  master  requires  of 
his  apprentice. 

But,  must  the  young  Christian,  during  his  novici- 
ate, make  no  use  of  his  reason?  has  he  nothing  to  do, 
but  to  listen,  and  believe  ?  He  is  commanded  to  use 
his  reason  in  all  cases,  in  which  a  prudent  father  would 
encourage  his  child  to  use  it;  that  is,  in  all  cases  where- 
of he  is  a  competent  judge:  and,  in  all  cases  whatever, 
he  must  use  his  reason,  so  far,  as  to  admit  nothing  that 
contradicts  it.  But,  as  a  father  is  sometimes  obliged, 
and  has  an  undoubted  right,  to  require  implicit  faith 
from  his  children,  and  to  tell  them,  that,  till  their  facul- 
ties be  more  improved,  they  will  not  understand  the 
reason  of  such  and  such  a  preceptor  doctrine;  so  our 
heavenly  Father  has  an  undoubted  right  to  require  of  us 
a  thankiul  acquiescence  in  dispensations  of  Providence, 
which,  in  this  life,  we  cannot  understand,  and  an  assent 


4>i4  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

to  doctrines  which  may,  at  present,  transcend  ourrea- 
son.  Every  day  we  see  what  we  cannot  account  for, 
and  believe  what  we  do  not  distinctly  comprehend.  So 
that,  if  there  were  nothing  of  this  kind  in  our  religion, 
it  would  be  like  none  of  the  other  works  of  God,  that 
we  are  acquainted  with,  and  would  rather  resemble  the 
invention  of  a  cautious  man.  But,  though  the  myste- 
ries of  Christianity,  may  transcend  human  reason,  not 
one  of  them  contradicts  it. 

That  there  is  a  Mediator  between  God  and  man  ^can- 
not appear  contrary  to  reason,  or  in  any  degree  improb- 
able, when  we  consider,  that  all  the  good  things  we  re- 
ceive, though  the  free  gifts  of  God,  come  to  us  by  the 
intervention  of  various  agents  and  ii~istruments."-— That 
the  divine  dispensations  with  respect  to  the  human  race, 
should  comprehend  a  long  train  of  effects  and  causes, 
and  a  long  succession  of  years,  will  not  seem  extraor- 
dinary to  those  v/ho  have  observed,  as  every  conside- 
rate person  must  have  done,  that  the  growth  of  plants 
and  animals,  and  all  the  other  operations  of  nature,  are 
progressive  and  gradual.— The  incarnation  is  not,  to  us 
more  luiintelligible,  than  the  union  of  a  human  body 
with  a  human  soul.— -To  atone  voluntarily  for  the  sin 
of  others,  may  be  as  possible  to  a  superior  being,  and 
in  him  may  be  as  consonant  to  equity,  as,  among  infe- 
rior beings,  for  one  man  gratuitously  to  pay  another's 
debt. — That  the  grrice  of  God  should  exert  itself  in 
supporting^  cherishing,  and  sanctifying  the  true  believ- 
er, is  as  easily  understood,  as  any  other  exertion  of  di- 
vine goodness. — And  that  there  should  be  a  resurrec- 
tion of  the  body,  is  suitable  to  many  analogies  in  na- 
ture, and  particularly  to  that  alluded  to  by  the  apostle^ 
of  a  new  and  flourishing  vegetable,  rising  from  a  buri- 
ed and  corrupted  grain  of  corn. 

While  one,  too  anxiously  endeavours  to  explain  these 
and  some  of  the  other  mvsterious  doctrines  of  our  re- 
ligion,  one  may,  no  doubt,  say  unwarrantable  things. 
But  if  we  take  them  as  they  are  delivered  in  Holy  Writ, 
our  only  infallible  standard  of  faith,  we  shall  not  find 
that  they  contam  any  thing  in  which  a  man  of  the  sound- 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWIiRED.  445 

est  and  fairest  mind,  who  has  studied  the  gospel  and 
its  evidences,  may  not,  without  difiiculty,  ac(|uiescc. 

1.  The  last  thing  I  shall  mention,  as  a  rccjuisite  to  the 
profitable  study  of  the  New  Testament,  is  a  desire  that 
it  may  be  true.  He,  who  has  not  this  desire,  must  ei- 
ther be  ignorant  of  Christianity,  and  consequently  unfit 
to  receive  it ;  or  must  be  indifferent  both  to  the  glory 
of  God,  and  to  the  good  of  mankind,  and  consequently 
averse  to  the  reception  of  it.  That  our  religion  should 
be  true,  is,  as  I  remarked  already,  the  interest  of  all 
men,  except  of  those  hardened  sinners,  who  are  deter- 
mined not  to  repent :  for  to  the  penitent  believer,  who 
regrets  the  frailty  of  his  nature,  and  studies  to  reform 
it,  the  gospel  speaks  nothing  but  peace,  and  pardon, 
and  everlasting  comfort. 

That  we  readily  believe  what  we  "vvish  to  be  true,  has 
been  often  said,  and  is  become  proverbial.  But  belief 
of  this  sort  may  be  as  rational  as  any  other.  I  see  a 
stranger,  whose  countenance  and  manner  please  me, 
and  1  wish  to  find  him  as  good  as  he  is  agreeable :  I 
cultivate  his  acquaintance,  and  after  long  trial  discover 
that  he  is  every  thing  I  would  have  him  to  be.  Is 
this  discovery  the  less  to  be  depended  on,  for  having 
been  preceded,  and  partly  occasioned,  by  a  preposses- 
sion in  his  favour?  And  if,  at  first  sight,  I  had  con- 
ceived a  contrary  prepossession,  and  always  kept  at 
a  distance  from  him,  and  been  unwiHing  to  receive 
information  concerning  him,  except  from  his  ene- 
mies, should  I  not  have  persisted  in  my  dislike,  how- 
ever luimerited  on  his  part,  and  uncandid  on  mine  ? 
The  former  case  is  similar  to  that  of  those,  who  stud\ 
Christianity  because  they  love  it :  the  latter  resembles 
that  of  him  who  remains  in  unbelief,  because  he  dislikes 
the  gospel,  or  disregaixls  it. 

Conviction  may  be  extorted  by  evidence,  so  as  to  rise 
necessarily  in  every  rational  mind  to  whom  the  evidence 
is  presented.  Such  is  that  which  is  enforced  upon  us 
by  mathematical  proof,  or  by  the  testimony  of  sense, 
or  of  meniorv.  And  in  this  kind  of  conviction,  there 
can  be  no  more  merit,  or  demerit,  than  in  seeing  what 


U&  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

is  exposed  to  our  view,  on  hearing  what  is  sounded  in 
our  ear.  Christian  faith  is  not  of  this  kind.  In  it  the 
heart  and  affections  are  concerned,  as  well  as  the 
understanding.  Our  Lord  pronounced  no  benedic- 
tion on  Thomas  for  having  believed  his  sight  and  touch: 
'  but,  Blessed,  said  he,  are  they  who  have  not  seen» 
^  and  yet  have  believed  :'  that  is,  who  without  such 

*  evidence  of  sense  (I  quote  Dr.  Clarke's  Paraphrase) 

*  shall,  upon  credible  testimony,  be  willing  to  believe 

*  and  embrace  a  doctrine  which  tends  so  greatly  to  the 
glory  of  God,  and  the  salvation  of  men/  The  doubts 
ot  Thomas,  were,  on  this  extraordinary  occasion,  re- 
moved by  irresistible  evidence  :  but  it  would  not  have 
suited  the  genius  of  a  religion,  framed  for  proving  the 
virtue,  and  purifying  the  nature  of  moral  beings,  that 
its  evidences,  in  general,  should  have  been  such,  as 
either  to  compel,  assent,  or  infringe  the  freedom  of 
obedience.  They  are  indeed  so  powerful,  that  nothing 
but  ignorance,  or  hardness  of  heart,  can  prevent  their 
making  a  deep  impression  ;  but  their  full  effect  is  felt 
by  those  minds  only,  who,  together  with  lowliness,  do- 
cility, and  candour,  entertain  a  predilection  for  that 
gospel,  which  proclaims,  *  Glory  to  God  in  the  high- 

*  est,  peace  on  earth,  and  good-will  towards  men.' — 
In  true  Christian  faith,  therefore,  there  is  virtue.  Jt  is 
indeed  an  assemblage  of  many  virtues  ;  of  piety,  be- 
nevolence, humility,  and  the  love  of  truth,  and  of  good- 
ness. No  wonder,  then,  that  the  apostle  should  have 
declared,  '  that  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please 

*  God,' 

But,  ought  we  not  in  charity  to  believe,  that  there 
may  be  infidels  of  so  good  a  heart  as  to  love  the  doc- 
trine, though  they  have  the  misfortune  to  be  dissatisfi- 
ed with  the  evidence  of  the  gospel  ?  Charity,  no  doubt 
^  which  thinketh  no  evil,  ought  to  make  us  believe 
that  this  is  the  case,  wherever  it  is  possible.  But 
it  is  not  possible  that  this  can  be  the  case  of  those  who 
labour  to  subvert  the  faith  of  others ;  and  who  are 
so  far  from  expressing  regret  at  the  discovery  of  any 
supposed  defect  in  the  evidence  of  Christianity,   or 


OBJECTKTNS  ANSWERED.  447 

seeming  to  think  it  a  misfortune,  or  a  disappointment, 
that  they  rejoice  in  it,  and  triumph  in  that  superior 
penetration,  which  they  fondly  imagine  has  enabled 
them  to  make  it. 

And  now,  if,  as  I  have  endeavoured  to  prove,  it  ap- 
pears from  the  declaratioTis  of  our  Saviour  himself,  and 
from  the  nature  of  the  human  mind,  that  they  only  can 
believe  his  religion,  who  attend  to  it,  and  who  study 
it  with  candour,  humility,  and  a  sincere  desire  to  find 
it  true  ;  is  it  wonderful,  that  those  men  should  be  un- 
believers who  write  and  speak  against  it,  and  show  by 
what  they  write  and  speak,  that  they  do  not  under- 
stand, and  have  never  studied  it  ?  Can  that  man  wish 
the  gospel  to  be  true,  who  employs  his  life  in  labour- 
ing to  prove  it  false  ?  Can  he  be  said  to  have  read  it 
wqth  attention,  or  to  have  read  it  all,  who,  with  Rous- 
seau, declares  our  Lord's  miracles  a  discredit  to  his  re- 
ligion, and  cannot  distinguish  between  them  and  the 
tricks  of  jugglers  ?  Can  they  be  thought  to  have  stu- 
died it  with  humility  and  candour,  who  sneer  at  it,  like 
Shaftesbury  ;  who  laugh  at  it,  like  V^oltaire ;  or  who 
treat  it  with  contempt  and  insult,  like  the  cool  and  in- 
siduous  Hume,  or  the  proud  and  presumptuous  Boling- 
broke  ?  Had  religion  been  suited  to  heads  and  hearts 
like  these,  to  them  I  should  have  left  the  defence  ot 
it;  for  it  would  have  been  a  very  different  thing  indeed 
from  what  it  is.  Their  rejection  of  it  supplies,  if  I 
mistake  not,  a  pretty  strong  argument  for  its  truth,  as 
well  as  for  its  excellency. 

II.  Not  only  the  number,  and  the  learning  of  unbe- 
lievers, but  even  their  virtue,  has  been  pleaded,  in  their 
behalf ;  and  as  an  argument  to  prove,  that  Christianity 
is  unnecessary. 

Of  their  virtue,  I  have  not  much  to  say ;  enough 
indeed  has  been  said  by  themselves,  and  their  admir- 
ers. But  ostentation  is  neither  virtue,  nor  a  sign  of 
it :  and  perhaps  the  world  would  not  have  judged  less 
favourably  of  them,  if  they  had  been  more  modest  on 
this  head.  In  fact,  some  late  compliments  that  have 
been  paid  both  to  thei-r  virtue  and  to  theii  wisdom. 


44a  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

are  so  ridiculously  extravagant,  that  they  would  have 
passed  for  derision,  if  not  for  scurrility,  if  they  had  not 
come  from  those  who  are  known  to  be  devoted  adhe- 
rents of  the  party. 

To  examine,  with  any  degree  of  minuteness,  the 
infidel's  claim  to  the  approbation  and  gratitude  of 
mankind,  by  an  inquiry  into  the  private  character  of 
individuals,  would  be  a  task  equally  inviduous  and 
disagreeable.  I  leave  it,  therefore,  to  their  biogra- 
phers ;  whose  labours,  however,  if  we  may  be  allowed 
to  take  lloiisstaiis  Confessions,  and  Voltaire's  Me- 
moirs  of  himself ^  as  a  specimen  of  this  sort  of  history, 
will  not  reflect  great  honour  on  either  the  infidel  or 
his  cause. 

There  are  different  sorts  of  infidels.  Some  not  only 
reject  our  religion,  but  also  write  against  it,  and  do 
what  in  them  lies  to  make  mankind  reject  it :  others 
satisfy  themselves  with  speaking  of  it  occasionally  in 
terms  of  dislike  and  scorn :  and  a  third  sort  perhaps 
there  may  be,  though  they  are  not  so  frequently  met 
with,  w^ho  only  disbelieve  it,  without  seeking  to  make 
others  disbelieve.  These  last  are  the  objects  of  pity, 
rather  than  of  blame  :  but  it  may  be  worth  their  while 
to  consider,  whether  their  unbelief  be  the  efi^ect  of 
candid  inquiry,  or  of  prejudice,  and  wilful  inattention. 

The  active  and  more  zealous  infidel  either  is  certain, 
that  we  shall  not,  in  a  future  life,  be  called  to  an  ac- 
count for  our  conduct  in  the  present,  or  is  somewhat 
uncertain  with  respect  to  that  matter.  Now,  though 
he  were  absolutely  certain,  that  our  existence  ends  at 
death,  or  that  the  gospel  is  not  true,  (which  no  human 
being  ever  was,  or  can  be,  yet  his  endeavours  to  make 
others  think  so  would  do  no  honour  to  his  goodness, 
of  heart.  For  infidels  must  know,  that  they  cannot 
demonstrate;  either  that  the  gospel  is  false,  or  that  a 
future  state  is  impossible  ;  and  they  must  also  know 
(or  they  know  very  little)  that,  to  a  sincere  Christian, 
nothing  can  give  more  exquisite  distress,  than  to  be 
perplexed  with  doubts  concerning  the  truth  of  that 
religion  which  is  the  foundation  of  his  dearest  hopes. 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.       ,  440 

But  if  they  be  not  themselves  absolutely  certain  that 
there  is  no  life  to  come,  and  yet  labour  to  persuade 
others  that  there  is  none,  their  conduct  must  be  imput- 
ed, not  merely  to  want  of  benevolence,  but  to  down- 
right malignity. 

For  the  lan^uaf^e  of  such  conduct  is  no  other  than 
this.  Those  people,  who  believe  what  we  tell  them, 
mav,  for  any  thing  that  we  certainly  know  to  the  con- 
trary, fmd  themselves  miserably  mistaken  after  all: 
however  their  admiration  flatters  our  vanitv;  and 
therefore  we  endeavour  to  make  them  think  as  we 
speak,  be  the  consequences  what  they  wilL  What 
sort  of  virtue  is  this  .f*  Is  it  not  that  of  the  madman 
mentioned  by  Solomon,  who  *  casteth  fire-brands,  ar- 
'  rows,  and  death,  and  saith,  am  1  not  in  sport?*  Is  it 
not  that  of  a  conceited  theorist,  who,  in  order  to  grat- 
ify his  own  beggarly  ambition,  tampers  with  the  hap- 
piness of  mankind,  as  if  it  w^ere  a  thing  a'i  no  value? 

'  But  you  mistake  the  matter  entirely,  he  will  reply, 

*  I'teach  men  to  think  freelv,  because  I  wish  to  rid  the 
'  world  of  superstition,  which  is  w^orse  than  irreligion, 

*  or  even  than  atheism:' — and  then,  perhaps,  he  will 
run  out  into  a  detail  of  the  enormities,  that  supersti- 
tion has  prompted  Christians  to  perpetrate. 

Whether  it  or  atheism  be  the  greater  evil,  is  a  point 
which,  if  prosecuted  would  lead  into  a  long  and  in- 
tricate inquiry.  The  former  arises  from  false  opinions 
concerning  invisible  beings;  and,  as  the  forms  of  false- 
hood are  innumerable,  those  of  superstition  must  be 
so  too:  and,  to  human  societv,  some  of  these  mav  be 
more  detrimental,  others  less,  and  some,  perhaps,  not 
at  all.  But,  to  shorten  the  controversy,  I  shall  admits 
that  in  all  its  forms,  superstition  is  a  very  bad  thing; 
and  that  he  would  deserve  well  of  mankind,  who 
should  drive  it  out  of  the  world.  But  who  is  the  man, 
who  is  most  likely  to  do  this  ?  and  what  are  the  best 
means  of  doing  it  ?  The  answer  is  easy:  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  man,  and  his  religion  the  means.  Had  it  not 
been  for  the  divine  goodness  manifested  in  him,  we 
should,  at  this  day,  have  been  pagans,  the  most  super-* 

VOL.  ii^  3  T. 


450  OBJECTIO^S  ANSWERED. 

stitious  of  human  kind.  Wherever  his  religion  is 
preached  in  its  purity,  superstition  vanishes,  like  the 
birds  of  night  at  the  rising  of  the  sun.  And  as  long 
as  the  existence  of  beings  superior  to  man  is  believed 
to  be  either  probable  or  possible,  the  world,  where  it 
is  not  enlightened  with  the  knowledge  of  the  one  liv- 
ing and  true  God,  will  always  be,  as  it  always  has  been, 
superstitiously  afraid  of  them.  By  divesting  the  hu- 
man race  of  all  religion,  if  that  were  practicable,  you 
might,  no  doubt,  free  them  from  superstition:  even  as, 
by  training  poor  children  to  midnight  robbery,  you 
might,  in  time,  get  the  better  of  those  ideas  of  noc- 
turnal goblins,  that  may  have  been  impressed  upon 
their  infancy.  But  before  either  expedient  be  tried, 
it  would  not  be  amiss  to  enquire,  whether  the  cure  is 
not  worse  than  the  disease,  and  whether  the  disease 
might  not  be  more  effectually  cured,  by  teaching 
the  knowledge  of  truth,  and  the  love  of  virtue. — In 
fact,  with  superstition,  with  hypocrisy,  with  unchari- 
table or  wrong  headed  enthusiasm,  and  with  all  those 
other  enormities,  which  infidels  charge  on  Christianity, 
in  order  to  vindicate  their  dislike  of  it,  Christianity  is 
no  more  chargeable,  and  has  nothing  more  to  do,  than 
with  house-breaking,  gambling,  blasphemy,  atheism, 
or  witchcraft.  Of  this  they  cannot  be  ignorant,  if 
they  know  any  thing  at  all  of  the  matter:  and  of  a  re- 
ligion, or  of  a  person,  whereof  they  knov^^  nothings 
modesty  requires,  that  they  should  say  nothing  ;  can- 
dour, at  least,  requires,  that  they  should  say  nothing 
abusive. 

Jn  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life,  when  a  man  has  been 
proved  guilty  of  mistake  or  falsehood,  it  is  expected, 
that  he  will  make  an  acknowledgment  to  those  who 
may  have  been  injured  by  it;  to  the  public,  if  the  pub- 
lic have  reason  to  complain,  or  to  individuals,  if  they 
only  have  suffered  by  his  temerity.  At  any  rate,  it  is 
expected,  that  if  he  should  not  have  made  an  acknow- 
ledgment in  form,  he  will,  for  the  future,  be  more  cau- 
tious, and  not  give  additional  offence,  by  repeating 
those  falsehoods  whereof  he  has  been  convicted.    But 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  mi 

if  he  do  neither;  if  he  persevere  in  the  same  injurious 
contiuct,  and  reiterate  his  former  misrepresentations, 
With  as  much  confidence,  as,  if,  instead  of  having  been 
confuted,  they  had  never  been  answered,  and  were  in- 
deed unanswerablci  v^hat  should  we  think  of  such  a 
man?  Should  we  extol  him  as  a  pattern  of  wisdom 
and  virtue?  Or  should  we  not  rather  charge  him  with 
obstinacy  and  want  of  candour,  such  as  an  honest  man 
would  be  ashamed  of?  Is  it  fair  to  examine,  by  this 
rule,  the  conduct  ot  infidel  writers?  Or  does  the  merit 
of  having  made  books  against  religion  raise  them  so 
high  above  all  considerations  of  rectitude,  as  to  jus- 
tify in  them  what  would  go  near  to  make  other  men 
infamous  ? 

Now,  it  is  certain,  that  some  late  infidel  writers 
lived  to  see  many,  and  perhaps  most,  of  their  misre- 
presentations and  sophistries,  fairly  exposed,  and  con- 
futed unanswerably.  And  what  was  tlie  consequence? 
Did  they  acknowledge  their  errors,  retract  what  they 
had  talsely  afiirmed,  correct  their  reasonings,  or  reform 
their  principles  ?  did  they  express  any  concern  for 
having  violated  truth,  ridiculed  the  religion  of  their 
country,  or  insulted  the  common  sense  of  mankind? 
iSio  such  matter.  They  went  on  publishing  and  repub- 
lishing what  they  had  formerly  published,  with  the 
same  assurance,  as  if  nothing  ever  had  been  said,  or 
could  be  said,  against  it. 

Hitherto  it  does  not  appear,  that  we  have  any  great 
reason  to  compliment  these  unbelievers  upon  their  vir- 
tue. Wit  and  humour  they  may  have,  and  eloquence, 
and  polished  manners,  and  learning;  and  all  this  the 
gambler  and  thief  may  have,  as  well  as  they,  and  in  as 
great  a  degree.  And  it  is  very  much  the  interest  of 
the  thief  and  gambler,  as  w^eli  as  infidel  writer,  that 
he  pubsess  these  and  the  like  accomplishments.  For, 
by  fixing  the  public  attention  upon  his  out-side,  they 
make  it  the  more  easy  for  him  to  hide  the  dispositions 
that  lurk  within. 

But,  why  seek  to  depreciate  the  unbeliever's  char- 
acter by  invidious  comparisons  ?  The  comparisons  are. 


452  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

in  my  opinion,  fair,  and  not  invidious:  however,  I 
drop  them.  Admitting  then  his  behaviour  to  be  as 
decent  and  regular  as  his  admirers  would  have  us  be- 
lieve, yet  what  can  we  lience  infer  ?  Little  more,  I  ap- 
prehend, than  that  he  is  attentive  to  his  interest,  and 
the  friend  of  his  own  cause.  H  I  were  to  settle  in 
France,  and  wished  to  be  popular  there,  would  it  be 
any  great  merit  in  me,  to  comply  with  the  customs, 
obey  the  laws,  and  speak  the  language  of  that  coun- 
try ?  Now,  the  enemies  of  Christ  are,  in  more  senses 
than  one,  strangers  and  sojourners  in  the  Christian 
"world.  Its  policy  they  did  not  contrive ;  its  laws  they 
did  not  make;  its  customs,  and  the  general  modes  of 
thinking  and  speaking  that  prevail  in  it,  they  did  not 
introduce.  Ail  this  is  as  really  the  work  of  Christians, 
as  the  lano^uag^e  and  laws  of  France  are  the  work  of 
the  French  nation.  And  1  presume  it  will  be  admit- 
ted, that,  in  the  Christian  commonwealth,  the  aliens, 
compared  with  the  citizens,  are  still  the  minority,  and 
but  a  small  one.  What  then  would  the  unbeliever  gain, 
if,  in  his  manners,  as  well  as  opinions,  he  were  to  set 
himself  in  opposition  to  the  people  among  whom  he 
resides?  He  would  gain  little  popularity, and  few  pro- 
selytes ;  nay,  by  thus  explaining  and  exemplifying  his 
principles  in  his  practice,  he  would  disgust  many  whom 
it  is  his  ambition  to  please ;  and  m.ake  those  consider 
him  as  a  dangerous  man,  who  now,  from  not  rightly 
understanding  his  tenets,  may  look  on  him  as  inoffen- 
sive, or  at  worst,  as  only  whimsical. 

He  may,  for  example,  w^ith  impunity,  laugh  at  the 
observance  of  the  Sabbath ;  or  complain  of  it,  which 
I  have  heard  him  do,  as  a  grievous  interruption  to  in- 
dustry :  but  if  he  were  to  force  his  servants  and  cattle 
to  their  customary  work  on  that  day,  he  would  not  be 
a  gainer  by  his  singularity.  He  may  speak  with  con- 
tempt of  those  who  baptized  him  :  but  were  he  pub- 
jickiy  to  abjure  his  baptism,  or  refuse  to  admit  his  chil- 
dren to  that  rite,  his  profaneness  and  obstinacy  would 
not  raise  him  in  the  public  esteem.  He  may,  in  his 
books,  abuse  the  ministers  of  God's  word,  and  call 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  453 

them,  as  he  has  often  done,  enthusiasts  and  hypocrites: 
but  were  he  in  the  public  street  to  insult  them  with  this 
language,  he  would  be  pointed  at  as  a  madman,  or  a 
monster.  He  may,  in  a  word,  think  as  he  pleases ; 
and,  in  some  nations,  he  may  print  and  publish  what 
he  pleases :  but  violent  measures,  and  practices  di- 
rectJy  opposite  to  those  ot  the  community  in  which 
he  lives,  would  frustrate  every  scheme  of  the  unbe- 
liever. By  good  humour,  a  winning  address,  and  such 
insinuation  as  may  'half  show  and  half  veil  his  deep 
*  intent,'  he  may  work  his  way  gradually  into  the  hearts 
of  men,  and,  in  case  of  danger,  secure  an  evasion  for 
himself,  saying,  *  Am  I  not  in  sport  ?' — But  ail  at  once 
to  throw  off  disguise,  to  make  open  war  on  Christi- 
anity, declaring  those  to  be  fools  and  knaves  who  be- 
lieve it,  and  in  the  sight  of  all  men  to  trample  upon 
the  laws  of  his  country,  whereof  the  institutions  of 
Jesus  form  a  very  considerable  part,  would  be  equally 
ruinous  to  his  cause,  and  to  himself. 

Hi.  Objections  have  been  raised  against  our  reli- 
gion, from  the  obscurity  of  particular  doctrines  and 
passages.  But  these  obscurities  have,  by  some  writers, 
been  both  multiplied  and  magnified  far  beyond  the 
truth.  Father  Simon  endeavours  to  prove,  that  Scrip- 
ture cannot  be  understood  without  the  traditions  of  an 
infallible  church  :  and  it  is  easy  to  see  his  motives  for 
supporting  that  opinion.  But  in  fact,  the  essentials  of 
religion  are  intelligible  to  all  capacities;  especially  to 
all  who  have  been,  in  any  degree,  improved  by  Scrip- 
tural knowledge:  for,  without  this,  I  must  again  re- 
peat, that  neither  Christianity,  nor  its  evidences,  can 
ever  be  rightly  understood.  And,  that,  in  a  thing  so 
extraordinary  as  divine  revelation,  there  should  be,  as 
observed  already,  some  particulars,  which,  in  this  im- 
perfect state,  we  cannot  distinctly  comprehend,  it 
would  surely  be  reasonable  to  expect;  since  we  find, 
that  in  the  other  works  of  God  there  are  innumerable 
appearances  that  surpass  our  comprehension.  Nor  less 
reasonable  is  it  to  suppose,  that  of  an  age  and  country 
^0  remote  as  that  of  the  apostles,  many  customs  and 


45t  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

forms  of  speech,  occasionally  alluded  to  in  their  wri- 
tins,  may  now  be  forgotten,  or  not  perfectly  intelli- 
gible. 

In  books  too,  that  existed  fourteen  hundred  years 
before  the  invention  of  printing,  it  can  be  no  matter  of 
wonder,  that  by  the  inaccuracy  of  transcribers,  there 
may  have  been  introduced  variations,  and  even  cor- 
ruptions of  the  original  text.  Yet  these  must  have 
been  inconsiderable ;  more  so,  perhaps,  than  those  of 
any  other  ancient  writings.  For  first,  the  transcribers 
of  the  New  Testament  must  have  always  engaged 
in  their  work  with  the  idea,  that  the  book  before 
them  was  sacred ;  which  would,  no  doubt,  incline 
them  to  be  as  attentive  as  possible.  Secondly,  the  mu- 
tual jealousy  of  the  several  sects  of  Christians,  who  all 
agreed  in  appealing  to  this  book,  as  the  standard  of 
taith,  would  make  them  examine,  with  peculiar  care, 
those  copies  of  it  that  might  be  circulated  by  adversa- 
ries, and  be  ready  to  expose  any  inaccuracy  wherever 
it  should  appear.  And  thirdly,  on  comparing  the  seve- 
ral copies  and  manuscripts,;  the  many  translations  that 
have  been  made  at  different  times,  into  different  lan- 
guages;  and  the  innumerable  quotations  from  holy 
writ,  that  are  found  in  the  Greek  and  Latin  fathers,  it 
appears  that  the  sacred  text  must  have  been  in  all  ages 
very  much  the  same;  Bently,  whose  skill  in  this  sort 
of  learning,  will  not  be  questioned,  observes,  that  the 
New-Testament  has  suffered  less  injury  from  the  hand 
of  time,  than  any  profane  author.  Indeed  there  never 
was  any  profane  author,  in  whose  preservation  and  pu- 
rity mankind  were  so  deeply  interested,  as  all  the  Chris- 
tian world  have  been,  for  these  seventeen  hundred 
years,  in  ascertaining,  and  preserving  from  corruption 
or  change,  the  original  records  of  Christianity. 

As  to  the  Old  Testament,  though  it  may  have  sut^- 
fered  more  than  the  New,  we  have  no  reason  to  think 
it  has  suffered  much,  it  was  entrusted  to  a  people, 
who,  satisfied  of  its  divine  origin,  were  so  religiously 
careful  of  it,  as  to  number  the  words,  and  even  the 
letters  contained  in  the  several  books j  and  who^  bc> 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  43$ 

ing  also  divided  into  sects,  would  be  watchful  to  de- 
tect every  error  in  transcription,  whether  the  ciTect  of 
design  or  of  inadvertance. 

By  the  mutual  jealousy  of  religious  parties,  where  it 
does  not  degenerate  into  uncharitableness, several  good 
purposes  may  be  ansv^'ered.  Being,  as  it  were,  spies 
on  each  other's  conduct,  they  reciprocally  stand  in 
awe  of  each  other:  the  natural  effect  of  which  is,  to 
promote  activity,  vigilance,  and  emulation.  And  if 
we  are  at  pains  to  cultivate  that  godliness,  sobriety, 
and  charity,  which  all  Christians  admit  to  be  indispen- 
sable ;  and  if  w^e  inquire  humbly  into  the  truth,  and 
pray  for  grace  to  discover  it,  which  also  they  all  acknow- 
ledge to  be  their  duty,  it  may  be  presumed,  from  the 
goodness  of  our  Creator,  and  from  the  different  de- 
grees of  understanding  which  he  has  been  pleased  to 
bestow  on  different  men,  that  diversities  of  opinion, 
in  speculative  matters,  will  not  be  imputed  to  us. — 
Hence,  let  all  parties  learn  moderation  and  mutual 
forbearance.  That  man  must  have  a  strange  turn  of 
mind,  who  can  bring  himself  to  believe,  that  those 
Christians  only  can  be  saved,  who  think  exactly  as  he 
does. 

In  whatever  way  we  employ  ourselves  in  this  world, 
it  seems  to  be  the  intention  of  Providence  that  we  shall 
have  difficulties  to  encounter:  for  care,  as  Virgil  ob- 
serves, stimulates  the  soul,  as  inaction  renders  it  leth- 
argic. The  cross  accidents  of  life  make  invention, 
patience,  and  fortitude  necessary,  to  prevent,  to  sup- 
port, and  to  overcome  them.  Man,  born  ignorant, 
must  labour  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge.  His 
reason  is  weak,  but  it  is  improvable  ;  and,  from  a 
sense  of  its  weakness,  he  feels  the  necessity  of  improv- 
ing it,  by  free  and  fair  inquiry  into  the  nature  of  those 
things  that  exercise  it.  Obscurities  in  philosophy,  by 
forcing  us  to  attend  and  investigate,  rouse  the  inven- 
tive powers,  and  strengthen  both  the  understanding 
and  the  memory.  And  the  obscurities  of  religion,  far 
from  being  considerable  enough  to  discourage  inqui- 
ry, serve  only  to  awaken  the  curiosity  of  the  Christian  ; 


456  OBJECTIONS  ANSWEUED. 

disposing  him  to  search  the  Scripture  ;  to  examine  his 
own  mind  ;  to  meditate  on  the  nature,  the  providence^ 
the  word,  and  the  works  of  God  ;  to  be  humble,  in 
consideration  of  his  ignorance  and  infirmity;  and  to 
implore  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  guide  him  into 
all  necessarv  truth.  Are  these  exercises  detrimental 
to  human  nature  ?  Are  they  not,  in  the  highest  degree, 
beneficial  ?  Let  not  then  the  obscurities  of  particular 
passages  and  doctrines  be  objected  to  the  religion  of 
the  New-Testament.  When  fairly  stated,  they  will 
be  found  rather  to  add  to  its  evidence.  At  least,  they 
prov^it  to  be  exactly  similar  to  the  other  works  of  the 
same  great  and  good  Being,  who,  by  the  constitution 
of  every  thing  here  below,  plainly  shows,  that  our  pre- 
sent state  is  a  state  of  trial. 

These  remarks  may  suggest  an  answer  to  what  has 
been  objected  to  our  religion  by  those,  who  wonder, 
that,  after  having  been  preached  seventeen  hundred 
years  in  the  most  enlightened  parts  of  the  world,  it 
should  still  need  interpretation,  and  give  scope  to -the 
labours  of  the  critic,  translator,  and  antiquary.  To  him 
who  has  studied  the  analogies  of  nature,  this  can  be 
no  matter  of  w^onder.  In  the  other  works  ot  God  we 
are  continually  making  new  discoveries  \  without  fore- 
seeing any  end  to  human  research,  or  anv  peiiod  that 
promises  complete  gratification  to  human  curiosity. 
This  having  been  the  case  in  all  past  ages,  and  all  other 
sciences,  we  may  reasonably  conclude  that  it  will  be 
so  in  every  age  to  come  5  and  that  the  contemplation 
of  the  divine  goodness  and  wisdom,  as  displayed  in 
the  works  of  creation  and  providence,  may  furnish  de- 
lightful employment,  even  for  eternity.  For  an  Al- 
mighty Creator  may  make  his  works  of  infinite  extent, 
if  he  pleases;  and  to  a  limited  understan^ding,  the  ex- 
amination of  that  which  is  infinite,  can  never  come  to 
an  end. 

Every  day  we  have  something  to  do  ;  if  we  had  not 
we  should  be  miserable.  Every  art  and  science  admits 
of  improvement ;  if  it  did  not,  the  human  mind  would 
languish  in  idleness,  human  labour  would  no  longer 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  457 

be  amusing,  and  the  spirit  of  enterprize,  and  the  vi- 
cissitudes of  hope  and  fear,  would  be  no  more;  a  state 
of  things  equally  inconsistent  with  the  virtue,  and  the 
happiness  of  such  a  creature  as  man.  The  essential 
doctrines  of  our  religion,  like  the  practical,  and  most 
necessary  parts  of  agriculture,  medicine,  navigation, 
and  other  sciences,  are  within  the  reach  of  everv  mind, 
who  IS  willing  to  be  mstructed.  And  yet,  in  our  re- 
ligion, as  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  there  still  is,  and 
probably  will  continue  to  be,  room  for  inquiry,  and 
need  of  illustration  :  and  he  who  humbly  inquires, 
with  a  sincere  desire  to  know  the  truth,  and  do  good 
by  explaining  it,  will  ever  have  reason  to  rejoice  in  his 
labour,  as  contributing  no  less  to  his  own  happiness 
and  virtue,  than  to  that  of  mankind.  To  which  let 
me  add,  with  respect  to  those  who  employ  themselves 
in  illustrating  theological  truth,  that,  as  long  as  men 
are  liable  to  mistake,  the  penetration  of  one  may  be 
useful  in  correcting  the  inaccuracy  of  another. 

IV.  Some  are  at  a  loss  to  reconcile  the  inspiration 
of  the  evangelists  with  those  particulars  wherein  their 
gospels  seem  to  differ  from  one  another.  They  do 
not  all  record  the  same  things,  nor  do  they  relate  all 
the  same  events  in  the  same  manner  The  differences 
are  indeed,  minute:  but  they  are  perceptible.  Mow 
could  this  be,  if  the  historians  were  inspired?  The 
following  answer  to  this  query  is  submitted  to  the 
reader. 

Socrates  long  ago  observed,  that  man  has  no  need 
of  supernatural  information  concerning  those  things 
which  his  natural  faculties  are  alone  sufficient  to  dis- 
cover. To  enable  the  apostles  to  comprehend  all  evan- 
gelical truth,  supernatural  light  was  necessary.  Their 
Master  accordingly  promised  it,  and  on  the  dav  of 
Pentecost,  or  soon  after,  they  received  it.  I  say,  vr 
soon  (if(€i\  because,  subsequent  to  the  descent  of  the 
tloly  Spirit,  on  that  day,  a  particular  revelation,  relat- 
ing to  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles,  was  made  to 
l^eter,  and  the  whole  scheme  of  the  gospel,  as  well  as 
Its  miraculous  gifts  and  graces,  communicated  to  Paul 

VOL.  ii.  3  M 


-^58  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

by  immediate  inspiration.  After  this,  we  find,  that  ifi 
their  doctrine  they  lay  claim  to  infallibility,  in  pretty 
strong  terms.  On  some  extraordinary  emergencies  too^ 
in  the  course  of  their  ministry,  as  in  the  case  of  their 
being  arraigned  before  kings  and  rulers,  it  was  pro- 
mised that  they  should  receive  aid  from  heaven  in  mak- 
ing their  defence. 

But  inspiration  was  not  necessary  to  enable  them  ta 
see  and  hear;  or  to  teach  them  how  to  conduct  them- 
selves in  the  common  business  of  life.  After  their  con- 
version, we  have  no  reason  to  think,  that  John  was 
a  more  expert  fisherman,  or  Luke  a  more  skilful  phy- 
sician>  than  before.  As  historians,  therefore,  they 
need  not,  I  presume,  be  considered  in  any  other  light, 
than  that  of  honest  men,  recording  what  they  saw  and 
heard,  and  had  examined,  and  were  competent  judges 
of,  and  deeply  interested  in  :  for,  on  this  supposition, 
thein  testimony  is  fully  sufficient  to  establish  the  truth 
of  the  gospel.  And  this  may  account  for  their  not  all 
recording  the  same  things,  nor  describing  the  same 
events  in  exactly  the  same  way. 

If  John,  for  example,  saw  his  Master  do,  or  heard 
him  say,  what  Matthew  did  not  see  or  hear,  which 
might  have  happened  in  an  hundred  instances,  it  was 
equally  natural,  for  the  former  to  record,  and  for  the 
latter  not  to  record  it.  And,  if  Matthew  and  Mark, 
supposed  to  have  been  spectators  of  the  crucifixion, 
were  so  stationed  in  the  croud,  as  to  hear  the  one  rob- 
ber revile  their  dying  Lord,  and  to  see  the  other  move 
his  lips,  but,  without  hearing  what  he  said,  it  was  not 
unnatural  tor  them  to  conclude,  as  the  combination 
against  him,  seemed  now  to  be  universal,  that  both  the 
robbers  reviled  him;  which  yet  Luke,  or  some  other 
person  from  whom  Luke  received  his  information, 
might,  by  being  more  advantageously  situated,  and 
hearing  the  words  of  the  penitent  robber,  know  to  be 
true  ot  only  one  of  them.  At  any  rate,  we  may,  with 
confidence  affirm,  that  if  the  evangelists  had  been  to 
invent  a  fable,  and  obtrude  it  on  the  world  for  truth, 
they  would  have  taken  care  that  there  should  be  nosucfc. 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED..  4^ 

contrariety  in  their  testimonies,  as  there  confessedly  is 
in  this  instance;  \Ahich,  however,  is  not  so  important, 
as  either  to  detract  from  the  veracity  of  the  historians, 
or  throw  any  blemish  on  the  purity  of  the  gospel. 

The  same  thing  may  be  said  of  our  Lord's  genealo- 
gy, as  it  is  differently  stated  by  Matthew  and  Luke.  If 
either  account  had  been  false,  both  would  not  have  ex- 
isted. Both,  therefore,  are  true;  and  may  be  recon- 
ciled, by  supposing  the  one  to  be  the  genealogy  of  his 
mother,  and  the  other  that  of  his  reputed  father.  In 
the  most  material  articles  they  agree;  namely,  that  he 
was  descended  from  Abraham,  and  of  the  family  of 
David.  And  it  is  impossible  to  imagine  any  motive, 
that  could  induce  either  Luke  or  Matthew  to  misrepre- 
sent the  subsequent  articles;  as  among  a  people,  so  cu- 
rious in  genealogy  as  the  Jews  were,  the  error  might 
be  so  easily  found  out. 

When  the  matter  inquired  into  is  very  complex,  au 
exact  coincidence  in  the  testimony  of  witnesses  is  not 
expected.  Let  them  be  ever  so  attentive  and  candid, 
they  could  not  have  stood  all  in  the  same  place,  nor  con- 
sequently have  taken  notice  of  the  very  same  particu- 
lars without  variation.  Of  some  sorts  of  facts,  too,  the 
memory  of  som.e  men  is  more  tenacious  than  that  of 
others.  One  remembers  best  what  he  saw,  another 
what  he  heard  :  one  attends  to  the  connection  of 
events,  with  their  effects  and  causes  ;  another  considers 
them  separately,  and,  as  each  event  is  in  itself.  Hence 
as  formerly  observed,  some  diversities  in  what  they 
declare,  concerning  circumstances  of  little  moment, 
would  convey  a  fa\'ourable  opinion  of  the  veracity  of 
witnesses ,  whereas,  a  perfect  sameness  of  declaration 
might,  in  the  case  supposed,  breed  suspicion  of  a  pre- 
concerted plan. 

But  though,  after  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  apostles  laid  claim  to  infalli- 
bility of  doctrine,  they  never  gave  out,  that  their  whole 
conduct  \vas  under  the  guidance  of  inspiration.  They 
were  indeed  holy  men  ;  but  still  they  were  men ;  and, 
a^  such,  liable  both  to  sins  of  inFirmitv,  which  they 


460  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

humbly  acknowledge,  and  from  which  they  affirm  that 
no  man  is  free,  and  also  to  error,  not  in  doctrine  indeed, 
but  in  those  matters  of  less  moment,  in  which  they  had 
nothing  but  their  own  reason  to  direct  them.  '  If  wc 
'  say  we  have  no  sin,  says  St.  John,  we  deceive  our- 

*  selves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us.     *  We  are  men  of 

*  like  passions  with  you,'  said  Paul  and  Barnabas,  when 
the  people  of  Lystra  were  preparing  to  pay  them  di- 
vine honours.  And  here,  let  me  ask  in  passing,  whether 
these  two  apostles,  if  they  had  been  impostors,  or  wish- 
ed to  gain  undue  influence  over  the  minds  of  men, 
would  have  been  so  zealous  in  refusing  those  honours, 
and  so  anxious  to  convert  that  people  from  idolatry. 
And  let  me  ask  further,  with  respect  to  the  apostles  in 
general,  whether,  if  ambition,  or  vanity,  or  any  other 
principle  than  the  love  of  truth,  had  been  the  motive  of 
their  conduct ;  they  would  so  uniformly,  and  with  such 
solemnity  of  protestation,  have  ascribed  all  the  glory  of 
their  miracles  and  doctrine,  not  to  themselves,  but  to 
their  crucified  Lord. 

And  now,  if  I  have  rightly  stated  the  nature  of  their 
inspiration,  can  it  appear  strange,  or  in  any  respect  de- 
rogatory from  the  character  of  the  apostles  and  evan- 
gelists, that  Paul  and  Barnabas  should  differ  in  opinion, 
concerning  the  propriety  of  taking  John,  surnamed 
Mark,  along  >vith  them:  that  this  John  should  have 
been  suspected  of  a  temporary  neglect  of  duty* :  that 
Peter  and  Paul,  though  men  of  distinguished  fortitude, 
should,  on  one  or  two  occasions,  have  been  seized  with 
a  momentary  fit  of  fear;  or,  that  the  former  apostle 
should  have  bten  reproved  by  the  latter,  for  an  incon- 
sistency of  conduct,  owing  to  his  having  been,  in  one 
particular  case,  too  indulgent  to  certain  prejudices  of 
his  Jewish  countrymen | :- — a  principle  very  natural  in 
itself,  especially  to  a  warm  hearted,  affectionate  pian, 
like  Peter,  and  in  ordinary  cases  not  very  blameable? 
All  this  might  have  appeared  strange,  if  the  apostles  had 
ever  pretended  that  their  conduct  was  as  blameless  as 

*  Acts  XV,  Sr. — 10.  {-  Calat.  ii.  1 1. 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  461 

their  doctrine.  But  they  modestly  declared  it  was  not. 
Does  this  invalidate  their  testimony  ?  Does  it  not,  on 
the  contrary,  do  honour  to  their  candour,  and  prove 
them  to  have  been  equally  incapable  of  deceit,  and  of 
ostentation  ? 

V.  Christianity,  it  has  been  said,  is  a  religion  so  ill 
adapted  to  this  world,  that  it  is  impossible  to  live  here, 
as  people  must  do,  and  yet  comply  with  the  strictness 
of  its  morality.  I  admit,  that  human  affairs  are  too  often 
conducted  on  principles  very  different  from  those  of 
Jesus  ;  that  the  man  \v-ho  sets  his  affections  on  this  \vorld 
and  resolves  to  act  accordingly,  will  not  fmd  encour- 
agement in  the  gospel ;  and  that  to  the  voluptuous,  the 
ignorant,  and  the  thoughtless  part  of  mankind,  the  be- 
haviour of  a  sincere  Christian  may  sometimes  appear 
not  a  little  singular.  Nor  can  this  seem  wonderful  to 
those  who  consider,  that  our  Lord  came  into  the  world, 
to  teach  men,  not  how  to  become  rich,  renowned,  or 
great,  but  how  to  prepare  themselves  for  eternity.  But 
though  the  principles  of  Christian  and  of  worldly  policy 
are  too  often  inconsistent,  it  does  not  follow,  that  thev 
are  necessarily  so,  or  that  they  ought  to  be  so.  Human 
affairs,  conducted  on  Christian  principles,  would  trans- 
form this  world,  which,  notwithstanding  all  that  human 
laws  can  do,  is  a  very  confused  scene,  into  an  assylum 
of  righteousness  and  peace. 

Our  religion  prohibits  all  injustice,  contention,  covet- 
ousness,  pride,  revenge,  turbulence,  hatred,  and  dis- 
content ;  and  all  pleasures,  passions,  aud  purposes,  that 
tend  to  debase  the  soul,  or  molest  our  neighbour.  It 
enjoins  compassion,  liberality,  and  faithfulness  ;  and  de- 
clares, that  no  other  virtue  can  make  amends  for  the 
want  of  that  benevolence  of  charity,  '  which  suffereth 
'  long,  and  is  kind,  envieth  not,  vaunteth  not  itself,  is 

*  not  puffed  up,   doth  not  behave  itself  unseemingly, 

*  seeketli  not  its  own,  is  not  easily  provoked,  thinketh 

*  no  evil,  rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but  rejoiceth  in  the 
'  trutl:^.'     ^^'hat  is  there  in  this  chanty,  thai  tends  to 

*  1  Cor.  xiii. 


4j52  ©BJEC'IIONS  ANSWERED. 

interrupt  the  business,  or  innocent  comforts  of  life,  ^ 
the  prosperity  of  nations  ?  The  injurious  man,  and  the 
sensual,  the  proud,  the  covetous,  and  the  hard-hearted 
may  object  to  the  morality  of  the  gospel,  as  the  cheat 
and  robber  may  to  the  laws  of  the  land,  as  unreasonably 
severe  :  but  the  just,  the  intelligent,  the  good-natured, 
and  the  sober-minded,  will  ever  be  of  a  diiFerent  opin- 
ion. Those  devout  and  generous  affections,  that  contin- 
ually prevail  in  the  breast  of  a  true  christian,  are,  in  them- 
selves, exquisitely  delightful ;  and,  instead  of  lessening 
other  innocent  pleasures,  cannot  fail  to  increase,  enoble, 
and  refine  them. 

The  gospel,  say  some,  does  no  where  recommend 
patriotism,  or  the  love  of  our  country ;  that  sublime 
A'irtue,  so  highly  celebrated  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans 
which  gives  elevation  to  the  human  soul,  and  has  pro- 
duced so  many  great  characters,  and  gallant  deeds.-*-' 
It  is  true,  that  a  Christian's  principles  makes  him  a  cit- 
izen of  the  w  orld  ;  by  declaring  it  to  be  his  duty  to  wish 
well,  and,  as  he  has  opportunity,  to  do  good  to  all  men, 
whatever  be  their  religion,  or  country.  And  it  is  also 
true,  that  patriotism,  when  it  divests  a  man  of  Christian 
benevolence,  and  makes  him  indifferent  to  the  welfare 
of  the  stranger  and  the  alien,  ceases  to  be  a  virtue,  and 
becomes  a  surly,  savage,  and  selfish  thing.  What  should 
we  think  of  the  clo\^ii,  who  would  refuse  to  take  con- 
cern in  human  affairs,  except  within  the  precincts  of 
his  own  parish  ?  In  the  eye  of  the  Christian  philoso- 
pher, that  person  is  equally  censurable,  for  his  narrow 
views,  and  want  of  humanity,  who  is  interested  for  his 
own  country  only ;  or  who,  in  order  to  raise  it,  would  pull 
others  down.  Patriotism  is  partly  a  selfish,  and  partly 
a  generous  principle.  Whatever  is  selfish  in  it,  Chris- 
tianity discountenances  ;  whatever  is  generous,  it  re^ 
commends. 

A  partiality  in  favour  of  those  who  depend  on  us, 
who  are  related  to  us  by  blood,  or  by  friendship,  and 
who  worship  the  same  God  and  Saviour  whom  we  wor- 
ship, as  it  is  natural  to  man,  is  also  suitable  to  the  spirit 
of  the  gospel.     Our  Lord  commanded  his  apostles  to. 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWEREIJ.  46:> 

ttlake  the  first  offers  of  salvation  to  their  countrymen 
the  Jews  :  and  he  himself,  foreseeing  the  ruin  of  liis 
country,  addressed  Jerusalem  in  the  most  pathetic  strains 
of  affection,  and  wept  over  it.     *  If  any  provide  not  for 

*  his  own,'  says  the  apostle,  especially  for  those  of  his 

*  own  house,  he  hath  denied  the  faith,  and  is  worse  than 

*  an  infidel.'  '  As  w^e  have  opportunity,'  says  he  in 
another  place,  *  let  us  do  good  unto  all  men,  especially 

*  unto  them  that  are  of  the  household  of  faith. 

Our  Saviour  graciously  forbids  excessive  anxiety* 
with  regard  to  the  events  of  life,  and  the  good  tilings  of 
this  world :  but  his  religion,  as  well  as  that  of  Moses, 
is  most  unfriendly  to  indolence  ;  and  his  apostles  recom- 
mended industry,  both  by  precept,  and  by  example. 
Nay,  there  is  reason  to  think,  that  he  himself  had  la- 
boured with  his  own  hands  in  his  reputed  father's  pro- 
fession :  for  otherwise  his  townsmen  would  not  have 
ealled  him  the  carpenter.  He  prohibits  revenge  and 
contention,  but  not  self-defence ;  and  this  no  lawgiver 
ever  found  it  necessary  to  enjoin,  as  the  instincts  of  our 
nature,  and  the  well  being  of  society,  render  it  indis- 
pensable. And  though,  with  respect  to  injury,  the  first 
disciples  were  commanded  to  be  passive  ;  as  we  all  are, 
to  forbear,  and  forgive  :  yet  he  allowed  them  to  speak 
in  their  own  vindication,  and  even  promised  supernat- 
ural aid,  when  they  should  be  obliged  to  do  so. 

War  cannot  suit  the  genius  of  a  religion,  whose  end 
is  peace  :  but  what  then?  If  wars  were  to  cease  through- 
out the  world,  would  society  be  less  comfortable  than 
it  is,  or  any  nation  less  flourishing  ?  All  mankind  speak 
of  war  as  a  calamity.  But  war,  it  will  be  urged  is  un- 
avoidable. Perhaps  it  may  be  so  :  and  when  it  is,  that 
religion  surely  cannot  be  said  to  forbid  it,  which  permits 
self-defence,  and  enjoins  submission  to  government. 
There  is  no  opposition  between  the  character  of  a  good 

*  Malt.  vi.  25. — 3  1.  That  phravi  in  our  verson,  take  no  thouci:lit, 
does  not  now  give  die  meaning  of  the  Greek  term.  But,  as  an  •apol'^ 
ogy  for  the  translators,  it  may  be  observed,  that,  in  the  En^^li^h  of 
their  time,  thought  was  sometimes  used  to  express  great  anxiety, 
or  solicitude.  Jjacon,  in  his  history  of  Henry  Vll  speaks  of  u  man 
■<vhodied  in  thought  and  anguish. 


464  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERF.D. 

Christian,  and  that  of  a  valiant  soldier.  Military  merit 
is  celebrated  with  high  encomiums  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. In  the  New,  soldiers  are  often  spoken  of  with 
honour,  and  several  devout  ones  are  particularly  men- 
tioned. Our  Lord  praiseth  the  faith  of  the  centurion 
whose  servant  he  healed ;  intimating,  that  he  was  in 
the  way  of  salvation.  When  the  centurion  Cornelius, 
was  baptised  by  Peter,  he  was  neither  blamed  for  hav- 
ing followed  that  employment,  nor  desired  to  relinquish 
it.  The  advice  given  by  John  the  Baptist,  to  the  sol- 
diers, was,  (not  to  throw  away  their  arms,  and  cultivate 
the  arts  of  peace,  but)  to  be  inoffensive  in  their  beha- 
viour, and  content  with  their  wages.  And  when  the 
Ephesians  are  desired  to  '  take  unto  them  the  whole  ar- 

*  mour  of  God,  the  breast -plate  of  righteousness,  the 

*  shield  of  faith,  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword 

*  of  the  spirit,'  these,  with  many  other  scriptural  allu- 
sions of  a  like  nature,  are  honourable  to  the  military 
profession.  In  fact,  there  are  £ew  professions  in  life, 
that  may  give  scope  to  so  many  Christian  virtues.  In 
him  who  merits  the  character  of  a  good  soldier,  we  ex- 
pect to  find  modesty,  moderation,  gentleness,  patience, 
clemency,  and  simple  manners;  and  they  who  have  been 
much  in  the  ^v^orld,  must  have  met  with  many  instances 
to  warrant  this  expectation. 

But  friendship,  the  source  of  so  many  comforts,  and 
without  which,  life  would  soon  become  a  burden,  is  no 
where  mentioned  in  the  New- Testament,  as  a  Christian 
virtue.  This  has,  by  some,  been  thought  an  objection 
to  the  morality  of  the  gospel,  as  well  as  a  proof  of  its 
unsuitableness  to  the  general  tenor  of  human  affairs. 
But  Shaftesbury,  v  ho,  I  think,  w^as  the  first  that  started 
this  cavil,  might  have  been  asked,  from  which  of  his 
admired  ancients  he  had  learned,  that  friendship  is  a 
virtue  ?  Cicero,  who  wrote  an  elegant  book  on  the  sub- 
ject, would  not  have  taught  him  so:  for,  between  friend- 
ship and  virtue  he  distinguishes,  v/hen  he  says,  in  the 
conclusion  of  the  book,  that  virtue  is  more  excellent 
than  friendship,  and  that  it  is  virtue  which  makes  friend- 
sliip,  and  preserves  it.  Nor  is  Aristotle  positive  on  this- 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  46^3 

head;  though  he  owns  that  friendship  and  virtue  arc 
connected.  And  so  indeed  they  are  ;  as  tlic  one  may 
gi\'e  occasion  to  the  other ;  even  as  partnership  in  trade 
may  give  rise  to  fidehty  and  industry,  or  fideHty  and  in- 
dustry to  a  bond  of  partnership.  But,  though  fidelity 
and  industry  are  virtues,  partnership  is  not  fi  virtue; 
nor  is  any  trader  praised  for  having  partners,  or  blamed 
for  not  having  them.  And,  to  be  without  friends,  when 
it  is  owing  to  no  misconduct  of  ours,  is  a  very  great 
misfortune  indeed  ;  but  no  rational  being  ever  thought 
of  calling  it  a  fault.  All  the  vi?^tues  comprehended  in 
friendship,  all  the  duties  that  one  friend  owes  another, 
are  in  Scripture  enjoined  by  precept,  and  set  in  the 
most  engaging  Hght  by  example.  Wherein,  then,  is 
Scripture  deficient  with  respect  to  friendship  ?  In  this 
only,  that  it  contains  no  such  precept  as  the  following : 

*  And  thou  shalt  make  a  choice  of  a  certain  person,  or 

*  of  certain  persons,  because  he  is,  or  they  are,  agi'cea- 

*  ble  to  thee ;  and  thou  shalt  love  him,  or  them,  more 

*  than  others ;  and  thou  shalt,  moreover,  make  him  or 

*  them  love  thee  in  like  manner.'  Would  not  this  be 
charming  legislation  ?  Would  it  not  prove  the  lawgiver 
to  be  profoundly  skilled  in  the  nature  of  man,  and  of 
human  aftairs  ?  Yet  such,  in  the  case  before  us,  seems 
to  have  been  the  skill,  and  such  the  penetration,  of  the 
author  of  Characteristics. 

In  a  word  ;  if  temperance,  piety,  and  social  love  ;  if 
meekne*^s,  integrity,  and  mercy  :  if  a  disposition  to  be 
quiet  and  mind  our  own  business ;  if  to  abstain  from  evil, 
and  suppress  every  injurious  })urposc,  be  beneficial  to 
man,  and  tend  both  to  private  and  to  public  good ;  it 
follows,  that  our  religion  is,  even  for  this  world,  the 
best  policy ;  and  that  the  disorders  we  see  around  us 
are  owing,  not  to  Christianity,  but  to  the  prevalence  of 
unchristian  practice,  and  antichristian  principles.  So 
that  to  think  of  improving  human  afiairs  by  taking  oft* 
the  restraints  of  Christian  morality,  is  not  less  absurd* 
than  to  propose  to  improve  commerce  by  a  repeal  of  the 
laws  that  prohibit  forgery  and  theft. 

VI.  But  is  not  the  world  as  wicked  now,  as  it  was  m 

VOL.  ii.  3  X 


460  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

the  dins  of  paganism  ?  And  did  not  ancient  times  pro^ 
duce  as  great  men,  as  an}'  of  those  who  have  distin- 
guished themselves  in  these  latter  ages  ?  What  mighty- 
benefit,  then,  in  respect  either  of  manners  or  of  policy, 
have  mankind  derived  from  the  Christian  religion  ? 

Though  the  two  former  questions  were  to  be  answer- 
ed in  the  affirmative,  it  would  not  weaken  the  evidence 
of  the  gospel.  The  first  preachers  of  it  never  said, 
that  the  great  ends  proposed  by  it  would  be  accom- 
plished immediately,  or  even  soon ;  or  that  every  one 
'  who  should  name  the  name  of  Christ  would  depart 
*  from  iniquity.'  On  the  contrary,  they  spoke  so  often 
and  so  particularly,  of  the  corruption  of  latter  ages,  that 
we  cannot  doubt  of  their  having  foreseen  it.  If  even 
of  the  twelve,  who  were  chosen  by  our  Lord  himself, 
^  one  w^as  a  devil,'  of  what  other  Christian  society  could 
it  be  expected,  that  all  the  members  would  '  adorn  the 
'  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour  in  all  things  V  As  long 
as  we  are  in  a  state  of  trial,  there  must  be  evils,  both 
physical  and  moral,  to  exercise  our  virtue  ;  as  long  as 
we  are  fallible,  our  virtue  mu^t  be  tainted  with  imper- 
fection, and  our  knowledge  with  error ;  and,  as  long  as 
repentance  and  faith  are  Christian  duties,  man  will  be 
a  sinful  creature,  and  exposed  to  various  temptations, 
from  the  example  of  the  wicked,  the  corruption  of  his 
own  heart,  and  the  sophistry  of  the  unbeliever.  Every- 
thing in  our  religion  has  a  reference  to  future  life.  Of 
its  importance,  therefore,  to  the  virtue  and  happiness  of 
mankind,  it  is  not  possible  for  us  to  be  competent 
judges,  till  hereafter  our  faith  be  lost  in  vision,  our  trial 
at  an  end,  and  our  minds  expanded  so  as  to  take  in  the 
whole  extent  of  this  wonderful  dispensation,  in  all  its 
tendencies  and  consequences. 

Meanwhile,  hov/ever,  we  know  enough  both  of 
Christianity  and  of  human  nature,  to  see,  that  mankind 
are,  in  many  respects,  improved  by  the  religion  of  Je- 
sus, I'o  state  an  exact  comparison  between  Christian 
and  pagan  manners,  is  indeed  impossible.  We  are  not 
ignorant  of  the  vices  of  our  own  times  :  but,  who  will 
pretend  to  compute  the  probable  amount  of  Christian 


OBJECTIONS  ANS\VEHE».;  467 

virtue ;  whereof  it  is  the  character,  rather  to  shrink 
from  public  view,  than  display  itseli  to  the  world  ?  And 
of  the  crimes  and  virtues  of  the  heathen,  we  know  little 
but  what  is  recorded  in  their  histories,  or  alluded  to 
in  their  other  writings. 

1.  With  respect  to  the  matter  now  before  us,  the 
first  question  ought  to  be  stated  thus  :  Whether  we 
have  not  reason  to  think,  that  mankind  are,  upon  the 
whole,  wiser  and  happier  than  they  would  have  been, 
if  the  Holy  Scriptures  had  never  existed.  Let  him, 
who  is  at  a  loss  for  an  answer,  compare  the  theology, 
and  the  morality,  of  Christ  and  Moses,  with  that  of  those 
nations,  who  never  had  any  opportunity  of  deriving 
knowledge  from  those  great  sources  of  wisdom,  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments. 

We  must,  with  shame  and  sorrow  confess,  that  many 
who  are  called  Christians  are  a  disgrace  to  their  reli- 
gion ;  nay,  I  am  afraid,  tliat  one  might,  without  breach 
of  Charity,  admit,  that  many  of  them  are  as  desperately 
wicked,  as  any  barbarian  or  pagan  that  can  be  named. 
But  this  cannot  be  imputed  to  a  religion,  which  they 
neither  obey  nor  believe,  nor  wish  to  understand  ;  to  a 
religion,  that  denounces  '  tribulation  and  anguish  upon 
^  every  soul  of  man  who  does  evil,' and  promises  '  glory, 
*  honour,  and  peace,  to  every  man  that  workethgood.' 
Because  the  best  things  may  be  abused  or  despised  bv 
those  who  are  unworthy  of  them,  does  it  follow,  that 
the  best  things  are  evil  or  insignificant  ?  Or,  if  a  man's 
appetite  were  so  depraved  as  to  feed  on  nothing  but 
noxious  weeds,  would  that  be  any  objection  to  the  use- 
fulness of  corn,  or  of  agriculture? 

Of  those  who  worship  the  living  and  true  God,  is  not 
the  condition  preferable  to  that  of  him,  who  trembles 
before  the  shrine  of  devils,  and  idols,  of  stocks,  stones, 
and  vegetables,  of  brutes,  monsters,  and  vermin?  In 
this  respect,  is  not  the  superiority  of  the  Christian  over 
the  pagan,  almost,  if  not  altogether,  as  great,  as  that  of 
a  man  over  a  beast  ?  And  let  it  never  be  forgotten,  that 
if  it  had  not  been  for  Jesus  Christ  and  Moses,  and  the 
divine  goodness  manifested  in  them,  the  whole  world, 
would,  at  this  day  ha^^e  l^ecn  barbarous,  or  pagan,  ov 


458  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

both,  and  likely  to  continue  so,  as  long  as  there  were 
men  upon  the  earth. 

In  this  argument  it  is  not  necessary  to  advert  to  the 
condition  of  savages,  cannibals,  and  the  worst  sort  of 
barbarians.  He  who  can  look  upon  such  misery  with- 
out compassion  and  horror,  or  without  a  due  sense  of 
the  blessings  derived  from  Christianity  and  civilized 
manners,  must  be  equally  destitute  of  humanity  and  of 
reason.  But,  may  not  the  wisdom  and  virtue  of  the 
ancient  Greeks  and  Romans,  in  their  most  civilized 
state,  bear  a  comparison  with  the  manners  and  literature 
of  the  Christian  world? 

In  some  respects  they  may,  in  others  they  cannot. 
For  example,  it  will  not  be  pretended,  that  in  any  Chris- 
tian country,  a  father  may  either  adopt  his  new-born  in- 
fant, (if  I  may  use  the  expression,)  or  abandon  it  to 
famine  and  beasts  of  prey  ;— that  the  massacre  of  slaves 
is  part  of  a  funeral  solemnity,  in  honour  of  great  men 
deceased  ;~that  horrid  obscenities  form  any  part  of  re- 
ligious worship  I' — that  the  most  unnatural  crimes  are 
not  only  practised  without  shame,  but  celebrated  by  poets, 
and  cooiy  mentioned  as  customary  things,  even  by  the 
gravest  writers ;- — ^that,  to  gatify  an  ambitious  profligate, 
inoffensive  nations  are  invaded,  enslaved,  or  extermi- 
nated  ;-— that,  for  the  amusement  of  a  few  young  sol- 
diers, tvv^o  or  three  thousaad  poor,  unarmed,  and  inno- 
cent men,  may  be  murdered  in  one  night,  with  the  con- 
nivance, nay,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  law ;— -that, 
tlie  most  worthless  tyrants  are  flattered  with  divine  ho- 
nours when  alive,  and  worshipped  as  Gods  when  dead ; 
that,  prisoners  of  war  are  enslaved,  or  impaled,  or  cru- 
cified, for  having  fought  in  defence  of  their  country, 
and  in  obedience  to  their  lawful  rulers  ; — that,  captive 
kings  and  nations  are  publicly  insulted  by  their  conquer- 
ors, in  those  barbarous  solemnities,  which,  of  old,  were 
called  triumphs ;  that,  men  are  trained  up  for  the  pur- 
pose of  cutting  one  another  to  pieces,  by  thousands, 
and  ten  thousands  in  a  month*,  for  the  diversion  of  the 

*  Lipsius  affirms,  (Sat.  B.  1.  C.  12.)  that  the  gladiatorial  shows, 
soj-aetimes  cost  Europe  twenty  qv  thirty  thousand  lives  in  a  month  ' 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  46« 

public  ;-^that,  as  the  father  of  gods  and  men,  a  king 
of  Crete  is  worshipped,  whom,  even  his  worshippers 
believe  to  have  been  guilty  of  innumerable  crimes  of 
the  most  infamous  nature  ;  while,  among  the  other  ob- 
jects of  divine  vvorshijD,  are  to  be  reckoned  thieves, 
drunkards,  harlots,  ruffians  :  to  say  nothing  of  those 
underling  idols,  whose  functions  and  attributes  it  is  not 
decent  even  to  name. — Thev,  who  are  ever  so  little  ac- 
quainted  with  ancient  Greece  and  Rome,  know,  that  I 
allude,  not  to  the  depravities  of  individuals  only,  but  to 
the  avowed  opinions,  and  fashionable  practice  of  those 
celebrated  nations.  Surely,  modern  manners,  censur- 
able as  we  confess  them  to  be,  in  so  many  respects,  are 
regulated,  m  the  Christian  world,  by  principles  very 
different.  And,  were  they,  in  all  respects,  regulated,  as 
they  ought  to  be,  by  the  pure  principles  of  the  gospel, 
we  need  not  hesitate  to  aflirm,  that  the  virtue  of  Chris- 
tians, would  as  far  transcend  that  of  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  as  the  arts  and  literature  of  England,  surpass 
those  of  New  Zealand,  or  the  land  of  Hottentots. 

This  affirmation  is  warranted  by  what  we  see  of  the 
influence  of  the  gospel  among  those  who  believe  and 
obey  it ;  whose  numbers,  though  far  short  of  what  they 
ought  to  be,  are,  by  no  means,  inconsiderable.  And, 
it  is  still  further  warranted  by  what  we  know  of  the  first 
Christians  ;  to  whom  the  gospel  was  preached  in  its 
primitive  simplicity  :  who  believed  it  with  full  assur- 
ance of  faith  ;  and  whose  manners  were  accordingly 
pure  and  perfect  to  a  degree,  \\'hich,  as  an  elegant  au- 
thor observes,  it  is  almost  as  difficult  for  us  to  conceive 
as  to  imitate. 

And,  is  it  not  infinitely  to  the  honour  of  our  religion, 
that  the  more  firmly  it  is  believed,  and  the  less  it  is  cor- 
rupted by  human  invention,  the  more  powerful  it  is  in 
improving  and  purifying  the  human  soul  ?  Does  not 
this  show  it  to  be  something  superior  to  all  human  con- 
trivance ?  Does  not  this. prove,  how  wisely  it  is  adapted 

and,  that,  not  only  the  men,  but  even  the  women,  of  all  ranks,  were 
passionately  fond  of  these   shows.     See  JJishop  Porteus,   Sermon 


470  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERE13. 

to  its  end,  namel)^  to  the  purpose  of  renewin,^  our 
nature,  aud  raising  it  again  to  that  felicity  which  was 
forfeited  by  the  fall  ?  Is  this  either  the  end,  or  the  ten- 
dency, of  any  other  religion,  or  of  any  other  system 
of  opinions,  that  ever  appeared  in  the  world? 

When,  a  few  centuries  after  the  apostolic  age,  partly 
by  the  craft  of  man,  and  partly  by  circumstances  pe- 
culiar to  times  of  ignorance  and  trouble,  this  religion 
came  to  be  almost  effaced  by  superstition,  it  then  lost 
its  sanctifying  influence ;  and  furious  passions,  unjus- 
tifiable wars,  and  horrid  massacres,  disgraced  Europe. 
Was  this  owing  to  Christianity?  No;  it  was  owing  to 
the  want  of  it.  But  the  revival  of  learning  hastened 
forward  the  Reformation,  as  the  Reformation  promoted 
the  advancement  of  learning;  the  Scripture  was  stu- 
died, and  Christianity  was  again  understood.  And, 
though  its  influence  is  still  unhappily  counteracted  by 
various  causes;  by  the  malignity  of  the  infidel,  by  the 
blind  zeal  of  the  enthusiast,  by  the  errors  of  human 
policy,  and  by  the  lamentable  depravity  of  the  human 
heart ;  yet  has  it  diffused  through  the  most  enlightened 
nations  a  generosity  and  gentleness  of  manners  un- 
known to  paganism;  and,  in  particular,  co-operated 
with  some  other  causes  in  transforming  war,  that  ne- 
cessary evil,  into  a  system  of  hostility,  which,  com- 
pared with  the  rancour  and  ravage  of  former  wars,  may 
almost  be  called,  in  the  language  of  Milton,  '  a  civil 
game.' 

When  modern  infidels  object  to  our  religion,  that  it 
has  been  the  cause  of  massacre  and  persecution,  it  is 
enough  for  the  believer,  after  stating  the  fact  just  now 
mentioned,  to  refer  them  to  the  New- Testament ;  and 
desire  them,  if  they  can,  to  produce  from  it  a  single 
passage,  that  gives  countenance  to  persecution  or  mas- 
sacre. If  "they  can  find  none;  if,  on  the  contrary,  it 
be  found,  that  our  Saviour  and  his  apostles  invariably 
recommend,  and,  by  the  most  awful  sanctions,  enjoin 
compassion,  justice,  forbearance,  forgiveness,  meek- 
ness, mercy,  and  charity,  declaring,  that  without  these 
virtues  men  are  not  Christians,  be  their  professions. 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  47i 

what  they  will;  surely  candour  oui^htto  incline  the  ad- 
versary to  impute  the  evils  complained  of,  not  to  our 
religion,  but  to  the  depravity  or  folly  of  those  wretched 
men,  who  have  corrupted  or  disguised  it  by  unwar- 
rantable additions  and  misrepresentations;  or  who, 
knowing  the  power  of  religion  over  the  human  heart, 
have  made  use  of  its  venerable  name  for  the  more  ef- 
fectual accomplishment  of  their  own  ambitious,  sensual, 
or  sanguinary  purposes-^.  Is  the  physician's  prescrip- 
tion to  be  blamed,  because  they  who  administered,  or 
who  swallowed  the  draught,  have  thought  proper  to 
mix  it  with  noxious  ingredients  of  their  own  contriv- 
ance? Or,  while  all  our  senses  bear  testimony  to  its  pu- 
rity, is  the  fountain  to  be  undervalued,  because  men 
may  have  been  so  unwise,  or  so  wicked,  as  to  pollute 
the  stream?  As  long  as  vve  have  the  means  of  know- 
ing the  genuine  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  that  is,  as  long 
as  the  New- Testament  remains,  it  is  not  less  repugnant 
to  every  idea  of  justice  or  candour,  to  impute  to  Chris- 
tianity the  evil  deeds  of  those  who  profess  it,  than  it 
would  be  to  upbraid  a  pious  and  prudent  father  with  the 
disobedience  of  a  profligate  son,  or  to  arraign  a  good 
sovereign  for  the  crimes  of  a  rebellious  subject. 

2.  What  the  second  objection  states,  concerning  the 
great  men  of  pagan  antiquity,  I  am  not  solicitous  to 
controvert.  The  abilities  displayed  by  some  of  those 
commanders,  orators,  historians,  poets,  statuaries,  and 
architects,  were,  I  confess,  very  great ;  and,  perhaps, 
have  not  been  excelled  or  equalled  since  their  time. 
But  this  affects  not  the  present  argument.  A  Christian 
may  be  a  great  man,  and  his  religion  will  in  many  cases 
help  to  make  him  truly  so:  but  Christ  and  his  apostles 
taught,  and  suffered,  and  died,  not  to  make  men  re- 
nowned in  this  world,  but  to  raise  them  to  glory,  hon- 
our, and  immortality,  in  that  which  is  to  come.  The 
persons,  on  whom  he  pronounced  benediction,  were, 
not  the  learned,  the  ingenious,  or  the  mighty,  but  the 
pure  in  spirit,  the  pure  in  heart,  the  meek,  the  merciful, 
the  penitent,  and  the  lovers  of  righteousness  and  peace. 
To  the  heatlicn  moraliist  and  his  disciple,  whose  views 


472  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

did  not  reach  beyond  the  present  life,  it  might  be  a  ve- 
ry interesting  matter  to  know,  by  what  means  a  man 
may  so  distinguish  himself  as  to  be  admired  by  his 
fellow-citizens :  but  to  the  Christian,  whose  supreme 
concern  it  is  to  please  God,  and  whose  views  extend 
forward  to  eternity,  this  is  but  a  trivial  consideration. 

VII.  By  some  well-meaning,  but  weak  minds,  and 
by  some  of  a  different  character,  who  were  vain  of 
their  philosophy,  the  apparent  insignificance  of  the  hu- 
man race,  may  have  been  thought,  to  lessen  the  credi- 
bility of  the  Christian  religion.  Compared  to  the  ex- 
tent of  our  solar  system,  this  earth  is  but  a  point ;  and 
the  solar  system  itself,  compared  to  the  universe,  may 
be  little  more.  Now  then,  say  they,  is  it  possible  to 
imagine,  that  such  creatures  as  we  are  can  be  of  so  great 
importance,  as  that  the  Deity  should  send  his  Son,  ac- 
companied w  ith  so  many  displays  of  divine  power,  into 
this  little  word,  to  instruct  us  by  his  doctrine  and  exam- 
ple, and  die  on  a  cross  to  accomplish  our  salvation. 

This,  is,  indeed  an  astonishing  proof  of  the  godd- 
ness  of  the  great  Creator,  and  of  the  condescension  of 
that  glorious  Person,  who,  for  our  sake  willingly  sub- 
mitted to  such  debasement.  But  the  infinite  goodness 
and  power  of  God,  though  surpassing  all  comprehen- 
sion, cannot  exceed  the  belief  of  those,  who  know,  that 
he,  in  order  to  communicate  felicity ,  created  this  bound- 
less universe,  with  all  the  varieties  of  being  it  contains ; 
whom  he  continually  supports  and  governs,  and  with 
every  individual  of  whom  he  is  continually  present. 
The  object  may  be  too  vast  for  any  intelligence  that  is 
short  of  infinite :  but  to  Him  who  sees  all  things,  and 
can  do  all  things,  who  had  no  beginning,  and  can  have 
no  end,  all  this  must  be  easy ;  incomparably  easier  in- 
deed, than  it  is  for  a  father  to  take  care  of  his  child,  or 
for  a  Q-enerous  friend,  to  relieve  his  indi2:cnt  neis:hbour» 
Ciod^s  dispensations,  with  respect  to  man,  may  reason- 
ably enough,  overwhelm  us  with  gratitude  and  adora- 
tion, and  with  a  most  humiliating  sense  of  our  unwor- 
thiness ;  but  let  us  take  care  that  thev  do  not  raise  within 
us  an  evil  spirit  of  unbelief:  which  they  will  not  do,  un- 


OBJECtlONS  ANSWEREt).  4>S 

less  we  have  the  inexcusable  temerity  to  judge  of  him 
by  ourselves;  and  to  infer,  because  our  i^oodness  is  no- 
thing, that  his  cannot  be  perfect;  and,  because  we  are 
ignorant  and  weak,  that  he  cannot  be  omniscient  and 
almighty.  Far  less  absurd  would  it  be  for  the  unlet- 
tered peasant  to  deny  the  possibility  of  calculating- 
eclipses;  for  the  blind  to  believe,  that,  because  they 
cannot  ste,  there  is  none  else  who  can  ;  and,  for  the 
poor  to  conclude,  because  they  cannot  relieve  them- 
selves, that  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  generosity  to  re- 
lieve them. 

Great  extent  is  a  thing  so  striking  to  our  imagina^- 
tion,  that  sometimes,  in  the  moment  of  forgetfulness., 
we  are  apt  to  think  nothing  can  be  important,  but  wlicit 
is  of  vast  corporeal  magnitude.  *And  yet,  even  to  our 
apprehension,  when  we  are  willing  to  be  rational,  how 
much  more  sublime  and  more  interesting  an  object  Is 
a  mind  like  that  of  Newton,  than  the  unwieldy  force 
and  brutal  stupididy  of  such  a  monster  as  the  poets  dc-. 
scribe  Polyphemus?  Who,  that  had  it  in  his  power, 
would  scruple  to  destroy  a  whale,  in  order  to  preserve 
a  child?  Nay,  when  compared  with  the  happiness  of 
one  immortal  mind,  the  greatest  imaginable  accumula- 
tion of  inanimate  substance,  must  appear  an  insigniti- 
cant  thing.     '  If  we  consider,  says  Bentley,  the  digni- 

*  ty  of  an  intelligent  being,  and  put  that  in  the  scale, 
'  against  brute  and  inanimate  matter,  we  may  afiirm, 

*  without  overvaluing  human  nature,  that  the  soul  of 
'  one  virtuous  man,  is  of  greater  worth  and  excellency, 
'  than  the  sun  and  his  planets,  and  all  the   stars  in  the 

*  world.'  Let  us  not  then  make  bulk  the  standard  of 
value;  or  judge  of  the  importance  of  man  from  the. 
weight  of  his  body,  or  from  the  size  or  situation  of  tlie. 
planet  that  is  now  his  place  of  abode. 

Our  Saviour,  as  if  to  obviate  objections  of  this  na- 
ture, expresses  most  emphatically  the  superintending, 
care  of  Providence,  when  he  teaches,  that  it  is  God 
who  adorns  the  grass  of  the  field,  that  without  him  a 
Bparrow  falls  not  on  the  ground,  and  that  even  the  hairs 
of  our  head  arc  numbered.     Yet  this  is  no  c.:caggera- 

VOL.  ii;  3  0 


4fA  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

tion ;  but  must,  if  God  is  omniscient  and  almighty, 
be  literallj'^  true.  By  a  stupendous  exuberance  of  ani- 
mal, vegetable,  and  mineral  production,  and  by  an  ap- 
paratus still  more  stupendous,  (if  that  were  possible,) 
for  the  distribution  of  light  and  heat,  he  supplies  the 
means  of  life  and  comfort  to  the  short-lived  inhabitants . 
of  this  globe.  Can  it  then  appear  incredible;  nay, 
docs  not  this  consideration  render  it  in  the  highest  de- 
gree probable,  that  he  has  also  prepared  the  means  of 
eternal  happiness  for  beings,  whom  he  has  formed  for 
eternal  duration,  whom  he  has  endowed  with  faculties 
so  noble  as  those  of  the  human  soul,  and,  for  whose 
accommodation  chiefly,  during  their  present  state  of 
trial,  he  has  provided  all  the  magnificence  of  this  sub- 
lunary world? 

As  far  as  our  knowledge  of  nature  extends,  there  is 
a  w^onderful  subserviency  of  one  thing  to  another.  By 
means  of  comets  it  is  probable,  and  by  means  of  at- 
traction it  is  possible,  that  our  solar  system  may  be  con- 
nected with  other  solar  systems.  Our  primary  and  se- 
condary planets,  all  dependent  on  the  great  central  orb, 
reciprocally  transmit  their  influences ;  whereby  our  at- 
mosphere is  variously  affected,  and  prepared  for  yield- 
ing nourishment  to  the  innumerable  tribes  of  animal 
^nd  vegetable  nature  that  surround  us :  and  from  man^ 
to  the  most  diminutive  insect,  and  from  the  oak  and  ce- 
dar, to  the  smallest  organised  body,  the  microscope  can 
discover,  every  individual  being,  is,  not  only  complete 
in  itself,  consisting  of  parts  mutually  adapted,  and  ope- 
rating to  their  respective  ends,  but  is  also  subservient 
to  the  necessities  of  we  know  not  how  many  other  ani- 
mal and  vegetable  species.-— In  unseen  worlds  is  it  not 
probable,  that  similar  analogies  may  take  place? 

In  this  our  first  period  of  existence,  our  eye  cannot 
penetrate  beyond  the  present  scene,  and  the  human  race 
appears  one  great  and  separate  community:  but  with 
other  vvorlds,  and  other  communities,  we  probably  may, 
and  every  argument  for  the  truth  of  our  religion  gives 
us  reason  to  think  that  we  shall  be  connected  hereafter. 
And  if,  by  our  bebiaviour,  we  may,  even  while  here,  as 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED.  Us, 

OUT  Lord  positively  affirms,  heighten  in  some  degree, 
the  felicity  of  angels,  our  salvation  may  hereafter  be  a 
matter  of  importance,  not  to  us  only,  but  to  many  other 
orders  of  immortal  beings.  They,  it  is  true,  will  not 
sufibr  for  our  guilt,  nor  be  rewarded  for  our  obedience. 
But  it  is  not  absurd  to  imagine,  that  our  fall  and  recov- 
ery may  be  useful lo  them  as  an  example;  and,  that  the 
divine  grace  manifested  in  our  redemption  may  raise 
their  adoration  and  gratitude  into  higher  raptures,  and 
quicken  their  ardour  to  inquire,  with  every  new  delight, 
into  the  dispensations  of  infinite  wisdom.  This  is  not 
mere  conjecture.  It  derives  plausibility  from  many 
analogies  in  nature ;  as  well  as  from  Holy  Writ,  which 
represents  the  mystery  of  our  redemption  as  an  object 
of  curiosity  to  superior  beings,  and  our  repentance  as  an 
occasion  of  their  joy. 

That  mankind  should,  in  every  part  of  their  duration, 
remain  a  separate  community,  and  unconnected  with  all 
the  rest  of  the  universe,  would  be  a  very  extravagant 
conceit.  Yet  even  on  this  supposition,  they  would  not 
lose  their  importance ;  and  the  religion  of  our  Saviour, 
considered  as  the  means  of  eternal  happiness  to  mil, 
lions  of  the  human  race,  will  appear  a  work  of  such 
benignity,  as  could  only  proceed  from  the  best  of  be- 
ings, and  of  such  magnitude,  as  to  be  worthy  of  the 
greatest. 

It  is  a  strange  perversion  of  science,  w  hen  men  con- 
tract  their  views  in  the  same  proportion  in  which  their 
knowledge  of  nature  is  extended.  Yet  this  must  be 
the  case  of  those,  who  think  it  easier  to  divine  power  to 
make  and  preserve  one  world,  than  to  create  and  gov. 
crn  ten  thousand  worlds.  If  we  judge  of  the  divine 
power  from  what  we  know  of  our  own,  both  are  impos- 
sible. And,  to  divine  power,  supposed  to  be  infinitely 
j.uperior  to  ours,  both  are  not  only  possible,  but  easy, 
and  equally  so.  The  time  was,  when  this  globe  was 
believed  to  be  the  universe ;  and  the  sun,  moon,  and 
stars,  to  lun  c  been  framed  for  no  other  purpose,  but  to 
enlighten  and  adorn  this  our  habitation.  If  he,  who 
entertains  thi:3  opinion,  Rnd  370  difficulty  in  concei\'ing 


^re  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

it  possible  for  the  Deity  to  superintend  terrestrial  things, 
and  to  prepare  the  means  of  happiness,  both  here  and 
hereafter,  for  man,  to  whose  dominion  they  are  all  sub- 
jected; why  should  it  be  more  difficult  for  the  enlight- 
ened astronomer  to  conceive,  that  the  Creator  of  all 
worlds  is  equally  powerful  to  preserve,  and  equally  at- 
tentive to  provide  for,  the  innumerable  works  of  his 
hand!  Every  new  discovery  in  the  visible  universe  ought 
to  give  elevation,  and  a  new  impulse,  to  the  pious  affec- 
tions ;  and  the  further  w^e  see  that  the  works  of  God 
extend,  the  more  let  us  be  overwhelmed  with  devout  as- 
tonishment, in  the  contemplation  of  his  infinite,  eternal, 
and  universal  Being. 

Paradoxical  writers  have  flattered  themselves,  that 
infidelity  would  gain  ground  as  philosophy  advances. 
So  sanguine,  as  I  have  been  informed,  was  a  late  pro- 
jcctar  in  this  way,  that  he  would  sometimes  give  it  as  his 
opinion,  that  Christianity  could  not  outlast  the  present 
century.  I  wish  he  hacl  lived  to  see  his  mistake.  By 
spphistry,  the  faith  of  individuals  may  be  unsettled; 
but  that  of  nations  is  not  so  easily  shaken :  and  sophis- 
try never  prevails  long  in  opposition  to  common  sense. 
From  true  philosophy,  and  a  right  use  of  reason,  our 
religion  has  nothing  to  apprehend.  The  more  carefully 
and  candidly  it  is  studied,  the  more  conspicuous  will 
its  truth  and  beauty  appear.  Wherever  it  and  human 
nature  are  understood,  they  are  found  so  admirably 
suited  to  each  other,  that  the  believer  needs  not  fear, 
and  it  is  vain  for  the  adversary  to  wish,  their  final  sepa- 
ration. God  has  joined  them,  and  it  is  not  in  man's 
poAver  to  put  them  asunder.  This  hope,  from  consid- 
ering the  character  of  man,  and  the  genius  of  the  gos- 
pel, w^e  should  have  had  reason  to  rejoice  in,  even 
though  the  highest  authority  had  not  assured  us,  that 
against  the  church  of  Christ,  not  even  the  gates  of  hell 
shall  prevail. 

The  stomach  must  be  depraved,  that  transforms  ali- 
ment into  poison ;  and  the  eye  cannot  be  sound,  which 
day -light  dazzles  into  blindness.  Nor  less  unsound,  or 
less  depraved,  is  that  understanding,  which  perverts  sci.- 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWT^RT^.D. 


4r<7 


encc  into  unbelief,  and  becomes  ignorant  of  God,  in 
proportion  as  the  world  is  enlightened  with  the  know- 
ledge of  his  works.  Minute  cavillers  may  grow  more 
sceptical,  the  greater  dexterity  they  acquire  in  misre- 
presenting facts,  and  misapplying  language.  But  I  know 
not  whether  a  single  instance  can  be  mentioned  of  a  tru- 
ly philosophic  mind,  who  both  understood  Christianity, 
and  disbelieved  it. 


^iiiiii^ 


SUBSCRIBERS    NAMES 

TO    THE 

LIFE  OF  CHRISF 


XFJl'-^rER^F.Y, 


Trenton, 


Governor  Jos.  Bloomfield, 

Charles  Bodine, 

Elisha  Forman, 

William  B.  Green, 

Thomas  Hendrickson, 

Elijah  Hendrickson, 

Benjamin  Jones, 

Asa  Knowles, 

Mary  Ann  Lawrence, 

Robert  M'Xeely,  esq. 

John  Morris, 

James  Oram,  15  copies. 

Felix  Owins, 

Mary  B.  Potts, 

John  Runyan, 

Israel  Taylor. 

Man.^fidd. 

Charlotte  Biddle, 
Henry  S.  Boulton, 
Joseph  Graft, 
John  English, 
Jacob  Ci.  Smith. 

JKorthampton. 

William  Brick, 
8am uel  Beck, 
Hiicison  Burr, 
James  Branson, 
Benjamin  Cox, 
J*4\n  Cojtj 


Hillman  Dobbins, 
William  Dobbins, 
Joseph  Earle, 
William  Engeard^ 
Jeremiah  Hains> 
William  Irick, 
Daniel  Joyce, 
Job  Jones, 
Phineas  Kirkbride* 
Charles  Miller, 
Joseph  Newton, 
Isaac  Newton, 
Josiah  Pricket, 
Isaac  Ridgway, 
Phillip  Strieker, 
William  Vanzant* 
Jacob  Woolston, 
Thomas  Wilson, 
William  Wilson.;. 

Evesham, 

Abel  Austin, 
Samuel  Austin, 
Abijah  Branin, 
Francis  Braddochf 
Jacob  Ballinger, 
Uriah  Borton, 
Joseph  Coles, 
Sarah  Coate, 
Joab  Dobbinsf 
Owen  Dav  s, 
David  Davis, 
Oabricl  Davif^ 


48o 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES; 
AEW-JERSEY, 


James  F.ldridge, 
Jacob  Evansj  jun. 
John  Evans, 
Joseph  Gardiner, 
Thomas  Gloveiv 
William  Heulings, 
Asa  Haines, 
Solomon  Haines, 
Rachael  Haines, 
Johnathan  Haines, 
Ner  Haines, 
William  Haines, 
Cox  Haines, 
Thomas  Haines, 
Stacy  Haines, 
Abraham  Haines, 
Sarah  Holmes, 
Thomas  Hollinshead, 
Thomas  Ham  mill, 
Thomas  Inskeep, 
William  Joyce, 
Benjamin  H.  Lippencott, 
Aaron  T.  Lippencott, 
Abel  Lippencott, 
Jacob  Lippencott, 
Daniel  Leeds, 
Rev,  Alexander  M'Go\Yaji, 
Wilson  M'Gowan, 
John  Moore  jun. 
Stacy  Moore, 
Cyrus  Moore, 
Bethuel  Moore,  jun, 
Joseph  Moore, 
Sherwin  Peacock, 
William  Peacock, 
W^illiam  Page, 
Jonathan  Ouicksal!, 
Job  Rakestraw, 
David  Shinn, 
Isaac  Stokes, 
John  Stokes, 
\Yjlliam  Stockton,- 
Jonathan  Smith, 
Isaac  Stevenson,- 
Isaac  Sharp, 
Johti  'J'rothj 


Charles  Wilklns; 
lesse  Williams, 
Micaijah  Wills, 

JLumberton, 

Elizabeth  Custer, 
Jacob  Clause, 
Samuel  Haines, 
Daniel  Wells, 
Ann  Woolstoon. 

Bar  dent  on, 

James  Davidson, 
Moore  Edwards. 

Burlington. 

Isaac  GifFord, 
Samuel  Hamraell, 
Benjamin  JeflTeris 
Josnua  M.  Wallace^ 
Enoch  Warrington^ 
Derrick  Lowden, 
John  SJlpath. 

Willing  b  or  oug/i, 

Robert  Lucas. 

Waterford^ 

Edward  Collins, 
Isaac  Ellis, 
Joseph  Heulings, 
William  Thorn. 

Chester,  b,  c\ 

John  Bispham, 
Samuel  Covvgill,r 
Robert  Engle, 
Isaac  Fen ni  more, 
Abraham  Harris,, 
Isaac  Heulings, 
xA.aion  King, 
Peter  King, 
Joseph  Pearson, 
Samuel  Slim, 
Samuel  &  John  Wat"2 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES 
KEW'JERSEY. 


481 


Princeton, 

Kev.  Enoch  Burt, 

G.  Beaity, 

Raphael  Bell, 

Joseph  Barr, 

David  Cokman, 

Daniel  Connfort, 

.Tolin  S.  Conger, 

Jacob  R.  Castner, 

William  Dunlap, 

Henry  Dwight, 

Matthew  Griggs, 

IVlary  Gifford* 

John  R.  Hamilton, 

Nathaniel  Henrys 

James  Latta, 

Philip  Lindsley, 

John  Lindsley, 

H.  M.  Perrine, 

Rev.  Samuel  S.  Smith,  D.  D. 

John  Smith, 

Kev.  William  Schenck, 

Mary  Stockton, 

Jared  D.  '1  yler. 

Dr.  John  Vancleve, 

R.  Voorhees, 

John  S.  Wood. 

Maidenhead. 

Isaac  Brearley, 
^ohn  Breavley, 
Sarah  Brearley, 
Stephen  Johnes, 
Kphraim  Phillips, 
Enoch  Smith. 

Runsum. 

Henry  Tiebout. 

Eatentoivn^ 

Thomas  Little,  esq. 
Thomas  Little,  jun. 
Peter  T.Wolcott. 

Mulberry  Hill. 

Dr.  John  Lawrence. 
Vol.  ii. 


Long-Branch. 

Joshua  Bennet, 
Joseph  Parker. 

Monmouth, 

John  Bugen, 

Elias  Covenhoven, 

Alice  Covenhoven, 

Jacob  Hendrickson, 

Richard  Horsefield, 

Samuel   Imlay, 

John  Perrine, 

Ezekiel  Robbins, 

Josepii  L,  Shaver, 

Peter  Thompson, 

Rev.  John  Woodhull,  D.  Di 

NeiV'Egyfit, 

Bowman  Webster, 

Hanover. 

William  Budd, 
Alexander  Shreeve, 
Samuel  Wright. 

Xetv-Mills. 

Dr.  Jacob  Egbert, 
Anthony  S.  Earle, 
Jacob  Heisler. 

HoJiewelU 

William  Lanning, 
Sarah  Phillips, 
John  Smith,  esq. 
JoJin  Stout, 
Stephen  Titus, 
Thomas  Wigins. 

jimivelL 

Samuel  Abbott, 
Col.  David  Bishojlj 
Samuel  Barber, 
Samuel  Bruer, 
]\rary  Brittain, 
Cornelius  Coryell, 
Christopher  Cool, 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES- 


J^EW'JERSEY. 


Jacob  Corson, 
Jacob  Dilts, 
Emly  Holcomb, 
Isaac  Hainds, 
John  Ilanna, 
George  Johnson, 
Joseph  Lambert, 
Joseph  Lambtrty 
Ann  Mattison, 
Peter  P.  Quick, 
Franklin  Rake, 
George  Simmins, 
Gilbert  Vancamp, 
Henry  Vandolah, 
Jacob  Williamson, 
Cornelius  WykcofF;. 
Henry  Williamson. 

Hillsborough* 

Benjamin  Beekmaii, 

B    Cornell, 

Peter  B.  Dumont, 

Isaac  Hagaman, 

Rcv.  Peter  Labagh, 

Peter  &  I.  La  Tourette,  3  co. 

James  Miller, 

Abraham  G  SchencK, 

Henry  StaatSy 

Rev.  John  Scureman, 

Gilbert  B.  Taylor, 

Williampie  Terhune, 

Ann  Vandyke, 

Rynier  Veghte. 

Griggstown. 

John  Baird, 
Jonas  Newton, 
Cornelius  bimonson-, 
Sarah  "v'^ndyke. 

Bethlehenu 

Conrad  Apgar, 
Nicholas  Apgar, 
Matthias  Apgar, 
lienry  Back  man, 
Thomas  Banghart, 
Abraham  Carkeef, 


David  Cownover^ 
Jacob  Grevelini*, 
Peter  Creveling, 
John  Clark, 
Asa  D. 

James  Dunham, 
William  Fleming, 
John  Holmes, 
Samuel  Hope, 
Matthias  Housel, 
Henry  Hockenbery, 
Adam  Hope, 
S.  Johnson, 
Samuel  Maxwell, 
Jacob  Melick,  jun. 
Benjamin  Opdyke, 
Benjamin  Oydyke,  jun«. 
Daniel  V.  Ruskirk,  • 
Joseph  Smith, 
Jacob  Smith, 
John  Twining, 
James  W^yckoff, 
William  Williamson, 

Baski7ig-Ridge, 

Bailey  Brees, 
Rev.  Robert  Finley, 
Jacob  Fingler, 
Jonathan  Watkins. 

Readington, 

Wm.  Bloom, 
John  iiaker, 
John  Brittain, 
Jacob  CarhihufiT, 
I'.zekiel  Cole,  sen. 
Derrick  Demott, 
William  Dally, 
Peter  Laljoyteaux, 
John  G.  Pittenger, 
Peter  Quick, 
Nicholas  Stillwellr 
Goi.  John  Smith, 
L.  Schamp, 
Peter    1  enbrook, 
Christopher  Van  Dorei^j, 
Henry  Van  Fleets 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES,. 
JsTEH -JERSEY, 


4*3 


Peter  Vroono, 
William  Van  Fleet, 
Heniy  WyckoflT. 
Cornelius  Wyckoff, 
Benjamin  Yourks, 

Bedminnter, 

Nicholas  Arrasmith,  esq. 

Martin  B. 

John  Blair, 

Ebenczer  Barkley, 

Abraham  Brown, 

David  Dunham, 

Peter  Dorn, 

Christian  Euff, 

Mary  Gaston, 

James  Henry, 

Charles  Hardenborgh,  J. D.M 

^Nicholas  Joralaman, 

William  J  odd, 

Cornelius  La  rourette, 

W'  illiam  Logan, 

Cornelius  Powlson, 

John  M-  Poulson, 

John  Kunk, 

John  D.  btryker 

Simon  iSuydam, 

Peter  Sutphen, 

W  illiam  Smith, 

Thomas  Stout, 

Abraham  Simonson, 

Levi  Sutton, 

Jacob  Voorhees, 

Gilbert  Van  Doren, 

Aaron  Van  Doren, 

Abraham  L  V'anarsdalc. 

Veal'Town. 

David  Cummings, 
W^iUiam  Cummings. 

Mcndham. 

Rev.  Amze  Armstrong, 
James  M.  Clark, 
Luther  Conkling, 
Henry  Cooper, 


John  Drake, 
Stephen  Dodd, 
Peter  Gillen, 
Isaac  Hathaway, 
W  illiam  Morrow, 
Robert  Miller, 
Ephraim  Sanders, 
Daniel  Thompson,  seii. 
Joseph  >jevius. 

Chester^  s.  c. 

Jacob  Conine. 
Joseph  Coleman, 
Margaret  Van  Doren, 
William  Van  Doren. 

JVew-Brunswick* 

John  Fourat. 

J\''eivfou7idland» 

Silas  Day. 

Morristown. 

Nathaniel  Bull, 
Simeon  Broadvvell, 
John  Craft, 
Isaac  Carfield, 
Ezekiel  Day, 
Moses  Estey, 
Lewis  Freeman, 
Seth  Gregory, 
Mahlon  Gord, 
Samuel  Holiday, 

B. K. 

James  James, 
Elias  Jaggers, 

L. Moore, 

John  Millard, 

Lewis  Mills, 

Benjamin  Marsh, 

Jabez  Mills, 

Henry  P.  Russell, 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  S.  Russell, 

Charles  Russell, 

Wm   Tuttle, 

Uzal  TiUtle, 


484 


SU:     BRIBERS  NAMES. 
NEW-JERSEY, 


Ashbel  Tuttle, 
Peter  I.  Van  Berren, 
David  Wooley, 
John  Wooley, 
Elias  Ward. 

Chatham y  m.  c, 

Isaac  Brittain, 
Bonnel  R.  Brant, 
Jacob  Bonnel, 
Silas  FosttT, 
Samuel  Gardner, 
Jacob  Morrel, 
Ebenezer  Riyon, 
John  Roberts, 
Wm.  Spencer, 
William  StiUwell, 

Bottkhill. 

Lydia  Bruen, 
J«'  '      B. 
Benjamin  Brue% 
Barzilla  Casfield, 
John  Hancock, 
Joseph  P.  Marsh, 
Josiah  Miller, 
B. SayrCo 

Hanover, 

Aaron  Ball, 
Rev.  Aaron  Condit, 
David  Gorv, 
Alvan  Campfield, 
Linus  Condit, 
Stephen  Kitchel, 
Henry  Morry, 
Wm.  Voorhees, 
Timothy  Ward, 

Sfiringjidd, 

D.  C.  Baldwin, 
Simeon  Bryant, 
Jacob  Dean, 
Moses  Edwards, 
Aaron  Hand, 
William  Parsill. 
Williajn  Rusbcll, 


Dr.  Daniel  Sitfin. 
Stephen  Sanders, 
Henry  Wade, 
Rev.  Gershom  Williams, 
Caleb  Woodruff, 
Abraham  WooUey, 
Uzal  Wade. 

South-Orange, 

Job  Brown, 
Samuel  Brown, 
Jonathan  Brown, 
Nathaniel  Bruin, 
Aaron  Crowell, 
Daniel  Edwards, 
Samuel  Freeman, 
Jedediah  Freeman, 
Jotham  Freeman, 
Rev.  Asa  Hillyer, 
Abraham  Harrison, 
Cyrus  Jones, 
Joseph  Matthews, 
David  Mann, 
John  Peck,  jun. 
James  Peck, 
John  Quinby, 
Nathan  Squier, 
William  Smith, 
Henry  Taylor, 
Phineas  Taylor, 
Ezekiel  Taylor, 
Nathaniel  i'aylor, 
Amos  Vincent. 

Jejfer son-Village*  ■, 

Samuel  Allen, 
William  Brown, 
Cyrus  Durand, 
John  Uurand, 
Caleb  Durand, 
Samuel  Durand, 
John  Lyon. 

Westjield. 

Jonathan  L  Bake^'. 
Richard  Cadmauj 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 
JVEW-JERSEY. 


435 


Lewis  Miller, 
Isaiah  bhotwell. 

JVenvark* 

Uzal  Anson, 
James  Beach, 
E.  Boudinot,  jun. 
Gen-  J.  Cumming, 
Abner  Crane, 
Mrs,  Mary  Crane, 
Charles  C.  D. 


Nehemiah  Hedden, 
Joshua  Horton, 
Hannah  Holeton, 

E.  H 

Jonathan  Lyon, 
Hobart  Littell, 
Ebenezer  B.  M'Lain, 
Kobert  M'Chose, 
Ebenezer  S.  Phelps, 
James  Richards, 
Isaac  Slote, 
Isaac  bayrs, 
Joseph  Wilbure. 

Union, 

John  Braisted, 
David  Crane, 
Hope  Carpenter, 
Caleb  Jefferys,  jun. 
Abraham  Lyon, 
John  C.  Lum, 
James  Meeker, 
John  Maxfield, 
Matthias  Potter, 
Jedediah  Williams. 

Sfireivsbury, 

John  Borden, 
William  Crai.f^, 
Mary  Crawford, 
Deborah  Coriies, 

M. D 

Jacob  Fleming, 
James  Green,  Esq. 
WiUiam  Hai^ht, 


John  Hance. 
John  Hartshorn,  jun. 
Abraham  Holmes, 
Increase  King, 
Aaron  Lain, 
Lewis  Macknight, 
James  Salter, 
Barnt  Tysen, 
Brittain  White, 
Benjamin  White. 

Piscataway. 

Jonathan  Dunham, 

George  Farmer, 

William  Harris, 

David  Harris, 

John  Harris, 

James  Harris, 

John  Keve, 

James  Littell, 

Oliver  Post, 

Jacob  Snyder, 

John  Stine, 

Jacob  Van  Devanter,  sen. 

Elias  Vanzant, 

Daniel  Vail, 

Peter  Vail, 

Joel  Vail. 

JS/eiV'Market . 

Caleb  Carman. 

Warren. 

John  A.  Fisher, 
Frederic  Vermeule,  esq. 

Bridgewater. 

WiUiam  Dalley, 
George  I.  Van  Nest, 
Cornelius  \"anhorn. 

Chesterfield. 

Joseph  Middleton, 
Israel  Mitlon, 
Apollo  Woodward. 


48^ 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 
JVEW'JERSEY. 


Cumberland  c. 

Noah  Burt, 
Wm.  C. 
Daniel  Garad, 
Ogden  Daniels, 
William  Davis, 
Humphries  Green, 
Peter  Ladow,  jun. 

J M. 

William  Mason, 
John  Tubman, 
Amos  Wtstcott,  esq. 

Kingnvood. 

John  Brittain,  L.  C. 
David  Curtis, 
Samuel  Grant, 
Samuel  Lott, 
Paul  H.  M.  esq. 
Samuel  Mannon, 
David  Teumy, 
John  Teumy, 
Aaron  Warlord, 
George  Wert, 
Jacob  Wert. 

Pittstown* 

John  Arrison,  , 

John  Fulper, 
R.  F.  Forman, 
James  P.  Hunt, 
Edward  Rockhill. 

GreeJiivic/i,  s  c. 

Joseph  A.  Atlee, 
John  P.  Arnott, 
George  M.  Albright, 
Abraham  Biddleman, 
Jacob  Beyer, 
Thomas  BuUman, 
Ivathanicl  Barber, 
John  Coleman, 
Wiililm  Carter, 
William  Crawling, 
Peter  Cavling, 
G. Chamberlin, 


John  Carpenter, 
Lew^is  Cline, 
Charles  Carter,  esq. 
Samuel  Drake, 
John  Grace, 
James  Hyndshaw.  esq; 
Isaac  Hughes, 
Dr.  John  Hughes, 
Martha  Hughes, 
William  Hunt, 
John  Hunt, 
Amos  Hixson, 
Daniel  Hixson, 
Abm.  Hance, 
William  Kenedy,  esq. 
Daniel  S.  Moore, 
Jacob  MeUick, 
John  Phillips, 
Dr.  Jacob  Reiss, 
A.  D.  Kunkle, 
David  Riley, 
Joseph  Roseberry, 

Michael  Roseberry, 

Elizabeth  Reynele, 

Jonathan  Robbins, 

C.  Smith, 

John  Sharps, 

Christiana  Sharps, 

Christian  Sharps, 

Thomas  Stewart,  esq. 

Joim  r.  Simpson, 

Jacob  Seigle, 

Peter  Sharps, 

I'hilip  Seagar, 

Philip  Sine, 

Peter  G.  Tilton, 

B. Tomer, 

Wm.  Wilson, 

John  Walter, 

Jacob  Young. 

Mexandria, 

Abraham  Bloom, 
Daniel  Brink, 
John  Derumple, 
Joseph  Cooper, 
William  Case, 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 


487 


XEW'JERSEY. 


J. — -D. 

John  Fine, 
Philip  Fine,  jun. 
William  Godly, 
Thoinas  liotlge, 
Zebedee  Hughes, 
John  ')ufr, 

Paul  li.  M.  Prevost,  esq. 
Michael  Rimond, 
William  Waggoner, 
Abel  White. 

Lebanon, 

Henry  Aller, 
George  Ape-ar, 
Harbit  Apgar, 
Peter  Apgar, 
William  Apgar, 
Gilbert  Bodine, 

J. B. 

Ra^ph  Beavers, 
Andrew  Creger, 
•Matthias  CraLer,  esq. 
John  Dennis, 
Jesse  Everitt, 
John  Lveritl, 

J. E. 

Joseph  Everitt, 
Morris  Fritt^, 
Wm.  Force, 

B F. 

John  Fisher, 

Frederick  Fritts,  jun. 

Joseph  Force, 

Peter  Flomerfelt,  esq. 

John  Gulick, 

S.—- -G. 

W. G. 

John  Henry, 

Edward  Hill,^ 

Arthur  Henarie, 

Wm.  Hazlct, 

William  Hann,  esq, 

Peter  Hoppough, 

Calvin  Hill, 

Kichard  Hamlet, 


John  Imrey, 
Samuel  Jones, 
Peter  Jinnings, 
Richard  Kaszat, 
T.  Liniger, 

J. L. 

Jacob  M  Kinney, 
Andrew  Omnick, 
Chailes  Phillips, 
John  Rodenbough, 
John  Shaver. 

Catharine  '^hurts, 

Elenor  bmith, 

Joseph  Smith, 

Morris  Sharp, 

William  Shannon, 

Aaron  Sutton, 

David  Sharp, 

Michael  Shurts, 

John  Smith, 

John  Stravble, 

Jtsse  Thatclijsr, 

Henry  Tunison, 

John  Van  Fltet, 

William  Vanhorn^ 

Robert  Wilson, 

Peter  R.  Weller, 

Francis  Yaw  gen, 

Peter  Yawgen,        ♦ 

Peter  Young, 

George  Young. 

JVew-GcrmantoiV}! . 

Theophilu*  Hardy, 
Jacob  Kline. 

Crosstvicks* 

Thomas  Moore  Edwards., 
Samuel  Fowler. 

Bloomsbw  If, 

John  Duckworth. 

Somerset  c, 

George  Flomerfelt, 
Joseph  A.  Osburn. 


4SS 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 


Umori'Farm, 

Robert  Taylor. 

Anbury, 

Benjamin  Cole, 

Wm.  M'Cullough,  esq. 

'I'homas  Scureman. 

West-  Windsor. 

Jacob  I.  Bergen, 
Elijah  Davis, 
John  Davis, 
Peter  Hooper, 
Samuel  Robbins, 
Richard  Runyan, 
Robert  Runyan, 
Matthew  Rue, 
John  Rue, 
Ezekiel  Smithy 
J. Smith. 

Te'wksbury, 

Charles  Apgar, 
Peter  Apgar, 
Jacob  Best, 

P. E. 

Joshua  Farley, 
David  Felmly, 
Benjamin  Fritts, 
George  Fisher, 
p._-E. 
Philip  Hyler, 
Richard  Joll|f, 
Moses  Harvey, 
John  Moore, 
John  M^Kinstry. 
Isaac  Ogden, 
Jonathan  Potter, 
John  G.  baiter, 
Andrew  Stout, 
William  i  harp, 
Alexander  Ramsey. 

Nottingham* 

Josiah  Appleton, 
Gen.  John  Beatty, 


Henry  Bellerjeau, 
Charles  Butcher, 
Gilbert  Brown, 
Jesse  Coleman, 
Charles  Wesley  Fenton 
Daniel  Fenton,  jun. 
John  Johnston, 
James  Morford, 
John  Mount, 
Elijah  Stout. 

'^een-'Ann^s 
Samuel  Burgess. 

Cranhury. 

John  Applegate, 

E.- Ayres, 

John  P.  Bergen, 

Charles  Barclay, 

James  Llark, 

Y  lizabeth  Grover, 

Nathaniel  Hunt, 

James  Hay, 

Samuel  Kerr, 

John  Kerr, 

Joseph  M'Chesney, 

Dr.  Ralph  Lott, 

Rebecca  Reed, 

Garret  Snedeker, 

"William  Schenck, 

Rev.  George  S.  Woodhull 

Vincent  "Wetherill. 

South-Amboy, 

John  Anderson, 
Thomas  Cook,  esqr 
James  Davison, 
Nathan  Dons, 
Amy  Fain, 
David  Hall, 
Stephen  Hooper, 
William  Huston, 
Cornelius  Johnsoa. 
Vincent  Miller, 
John  Mount, 
Matthias  Mount., 
Samuel  Pitney? 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES 
A'EW-JERSEY. 


489 


John  Rue, 
William  Robinson^ 
David  Sutfin 
Jacob  Suidam,  jun. 
Joseph  Vane  leaf, 
David  Vanderveer, 
Tunis  G.  Vanderveer, 
Garret  Wyckoff. 

Bernard, 

David  Kirkpatrick. 

Montgomery. 

Rev.  David  Bartine,  3  copies. 
William  R.  bchenck, 

Haddonfield. 

John  A.  Crisson, 
Turner  Ridi-on, 
Thomas  Redman. 

Gloucester. 

Joseph  Abell, 

Isaac  Browning, 

Samuel  W.  Blackwood, 

Marniaduke  Burrough, 

John  Brick, 

Abel  Clement, 

Isaac  Cooper, 

William  Champion, 

David  Doughten, 

Abraham  Fennimore, 

John  Gant, 

Joseph  (/lover, 

Isaac  Glover, 

Isaac  Hay, 

V\  illiam  Hugg, 

James  blurley, 

Amos  Haines, 

Samuel  Henry, 

J.  Heritage, 

Joseph  Mickle, 

John  M*Callister,  10  copies. 

William  Mailock, 

Jesse  Sparks, 

Sarah  Stokes, 

John  Stokes, 

Joseph  Sloan, 


William  Troth, 
Joseph  Thuckray, 
Joseph  Wills. 

Woodbury. 

Dr.  Eli  Ayres, 
D.  Davenport, 
^lessrs.  Brick  &  French, 

J. H. 

James  Matlock, 
Elias  Reynolds, 
Apollo  Woodward, 
Benjamin  Whitecar, 
John  M.  White. 

De^itford, 

John  Carter, 
Isaac  Hinchman, 
Jonathan  Johnson, 
Ebren  Powel, 
Samuel  Sterling, 
Jesse  Smith. 

Woolivich* 

Edward  Bates, 

Josiah  Chatham, 

William  Elwell, 

Jacob  Gosling,  •      ^ 

Daniel  Gardiner, 

Philip  Lutts, 

Isaac  Morgan, 

^^  .  Mulford, 

John  Pissant, 

Samuel  Weatherby, 

Greenwich,  g,  c. 

Enoch  Agguigs, 
Mary  Allen, 
EMward  Bates,  jun. 
Dr.  J.  Clark, 
James  Casseday, 
Nathan  Cooper, 
Thomas  Carpenter, 
Joseph  V.  Clark, 
George  Hillerman.. 
John  Ugood, 
Jonatlian  Paul, 


490 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 

XEllWERSEY. 


Silas  Richards, 
John  Richards, 
Joseph  Sweeten, 
Josiah  Stokes, 
Willet  Smith, 
Samuel  Tonkin, 
Hudson  Tomlin, 
John  L.  Vanneman, 
Robert  Wallace. 

Salem  c. 

Jedediah  T,  Allen, 
Deborah  Clark) 
John  t  ooper, 
William  Carpenter, 
Joseph  Cook, 
Alexander  Dean, 
Samuel  Dean, 
Jeremiah  Dubois, 
James  Dickinson, 
Samuel  Hall, 
Thomas  Pervin, 
William  Smith, 
David  B.  Smith, 
Robert  Van  Mater. 

Siveedsboro  ugh . 

William  Harrison, 
Francis  Hover, 
Dr.  James  Stratton, 
Ebenezer  Sumer, 
Richard  Tittemary. 

Freehold.,  m.  c, 

Kenneth  Anderson, 
David  Bow^n, 
James  Baird, 
Garret  G.  Conover, 
Elias  Conover, 
linoch  Covi'ard, 
John  Craig,  sen. 
Zebulon  Clayton, 
John  Clayton, 
William  I.  Craig, 
Jacob  Covenhoven, 
Cornelius  Covenhoven, 
Garret  Covenhoven, 


Catharine  Covenhoven, 
John  Clayton, 
Rev.  Benjamin  Dubois, 
Daniel  Dey, 
Tunis  Dubois, 
John  I.  Ely, 
Dr.  Samuel  Forman, 
Kenneth  Hankinson, 
James  Herbert,  esq. 
Jonathan  R.  Gordon, 
Samuel  Ivins, 
Robert  Jones, 
Abraham  Johnson, 
John  Reed, 
Aaron  Reed, 
James  Robinson, 
John  I.  Reed, 
John  J.  Rue, 
Catharine  Schenck? 
Sarah  Schenck, 
Rulef  P.  Schenck, 
James  Scott, 
John  T.  Smith, 
Samuel  T^  Thompson^ 
Mary  Thompson, 
Peter  Vandorn, 
W   Wickoff, 
William  Wilson, 
James  Wall, 
John  W'hitlock, 
William  Wooley. 

Middletown-Point* 

Sarah  Bates, 
Z.  Clevenger, 
Derrick  Whitlock. 

Hamburg. 

Thomas  C.  Ryuson, 

Middletonvn^  m.  c. 

Esther  Burrowes, 
Samuel  Beers, 
Thomas  Covenhoven, 
Cornelius  R.  Covenhoven^ 
William  Conover, 
David  Clarkt 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 


A9^ 


JN'EW-JEnSEY. 


Daniel  H.  Dubois, 
Rev.  John  Fountain, 
Capt.  Fred.  Hendrickson, 
Joseph  Holmes, 
John  S.  Holmes, 
A.  Hills, 

H  end  lick  Hendrickson, 
Stephen  JManning, 
John  Smock, 
Burns  Smock, 
Daniel  Schenck, 
Delefeat  Schenck, 
Isaac  Van  Doren, 
Jos.  H.  Van  Mater. 

MQimt-Pleasant , 

Hendrick  Hiers, 
John  P.  Vanpelt. 

Morris  c. 

K. B. 

Silas  Cook, 
Jacob  Deake, 
John  P.  Dorsey, 
Zephaniah  Drake, 
Rev.  Lemuel  Fordham, 

J F. 

John  D.  Gardiner, 
Abner  Whitehead, 
E.  Hallsey,  jup. 
Benjamin  Lindsley, 
Joseph  M.  Lindsley, 
Silas  Lindsley, 
Ebenezer  Morehous, 

&  B M. 

Rev.  Stephen  Occcrtom, 
John  Smith, 
James  H.  Thomas. 

Kitigston- 
Elijah  Blackwell, 
Rev.  David  Comfort, 
D.  Clarkson, 
James  M'Chesney, 
Dr.  Jacob  Scudder, 
Elias  Scudder. 


Rocky-HUL 

William  truser, 
Samuel  Mershon, 
John  Reeve. 

Ten-Mile-Run. 

Elias  Baker. 

Mapletonvn, 

Thomas  Blackwell, 
John  Cruser, 
William  Covenhoven> 
Samuel  Ivins. 

Pleasant 'Plains. 

Rev.  James  S.  Cannon. 

Dutch-A'eck. 

Ezekiel  Anderson, 
Peter  Bergen, 
Covet  Voorhees. 

Raritan-Landing, 

Michael  Garrish. 

Bound' Brook. 

John  Campneld. 

Franklin. 

John  M.  Bayard, 
Andrew  Brown, 
William  French, 
Samuel  Garritson, 
Garret  Polhemus, 
Abraham  I.  Voorhees, 
Denice  Vanliew, 
Elizabeth  Vanliew, 
Simon  Vannortwick, 
John  L  Wyckotf. 

Pluckamin. 
James  \''anderveer. 


49^ 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 
JSfEW'JERSEY, 


Sussex  c. 

Nicholas  Abbertson, 
Maria  S.  Blair, 
David  Barclay, 
Charles  Croxall, 
Jacob  Ciniis, 
Daniel  GurHs, 
Isiathan  Cook, 
Mary  Davison, 
James  Davison, 
George  Hibhs, 
John  Hartley, 
Thomas  Harm  an, 
James  Hayes, 
William  Hibler, 
Klias  Jones, 
Joseph  K^rr, 
John  JLiacey, 
William  l.oder, 
John  M^Miirline, 
Jacob  Milltr, 
Reubt  n  hearle, 
WiUiam  Shatp> 
Joshua  Svvayze, 
William  Taylor,  jun. 
Robert  C.  Thompson, 

Deerfitld^  c.  c. 

Hlijah  Davis, 
Enos  Davis, 
John  Davis, 
Elizabeth  Foster, 

J. G.  jun. 

John  Johnson, 
Enoch  Paul  in. 
Rev.  Nathaniel  Reeve, 
Henry  Richman, 
William  bhull, 
Abraham  Swing, 
Henry  Shoemaker, 
Samuel  Thompson, 
Jeremiah  Wood, 
J W. 

Fairfield* 

John  Bateman. 


Burgin  Bateman, 
Preston  Bishop, 
David  Clark, 
Amos  Fithian, 
Ephraim  Lummis,  jun. 
Enoch  H   Moore, 
Curtis  Ogden, 
Ethan  O shorn, 
Henry  Westcott, 
Amos  Westcott,  jun. 
Butler  Newcomb. 

Bridgetoivn, 

Enoch  Burgin, 
Jeremiah  Brick, 
J.  Bennett, 
Wm.  Crooks, 
Daniel  >  Imer, 
Jonathan  Elmer, 
William  Merritt, 
Samuel  Moore  Shute, 
Stephen  Miller, 
Jacob  Perhannes, 
William  Potter, 
Lott  Randolph, 
Stephen  Reeves, 
Elias  Rose, 
Mark  Riley, 
Ephraim  Seeby, 
Ebenezer  Seeby, 
Samuel  Seeby, 
Jeremiah  Stratton, 
'i  homas  Woodruff, 
Charles  Woodruff. 

Roadstoivn, 

Harvey  Sheppard, 
George  Smith. 

Middlesex. 

James  Abraham, 
Frederic  BuckeleWj 
Paul  Miller, 
Daniel  Miller, 
Joseph  Wall. 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 
J^EW-JERSEY, 


4^3 


BeatieS'toivn. 

Matlhew  Martin. 

Eaat'Windsor. 

Samuel  Allen, 
iLuphame  Breese, 
L.  Covenhovcn, 
David  Covenhoven, 
Elias  Dancer, 
John  Dickson, 
Aaron  Forman, 
Lewis  Forman, 
Jacob  Hight, 
John  Hulit, 
Daniel  Johnes, 
Frederick  Miller^ 
Jacob  Warner. 


Indefiendence,  «.  r. 

Samuel  Bradford, 
Elisha  Bird,  jun. 
FJijah  Lanning, 
Joseph  Murry. 

Boxbfrrij. 
Cadwalader  Smith. 

Downs. 
George  Elkinton, 
Peter  Campbell. 
Ca/ie-May. 
Rev.  Thomas  Brooks, 
Daniel  Goff. 

Cumberland  c. 
David  Mason, 
Joseph  Prickelt. 

Port- Elizabeth. 
Deborah  I^e. 


PENNSYLVANIA. 


Korthamiiton, 

John  Corson,  esq. 
Gilliam  Cornell, 
Thomas  Hutchinson, 
Peter  Lefferts, 
David  Taggart. 

Middletown. 

Joseph  Subeer. 

Falhto'wn. 

Esther  Brelsford, 
John  Comfort, 
Moses  Doan, 
William  J.  Green, 
Barclay  Ivins, 
Martha  Lancaster, 
Wm.  Moon, 
Lucy  Mull, 


Jacob  Singleton, 
'1  homas  Scattergood, 
Hector  Thompson, 
William  Warner. 

LoweT'Mak.Jield. 

Cornelius  Slack, 
Joseph  Wender. 

Yardleville, 

Joseph  Baldwin, 

Isaiah  Van  Zant,  Farmer. 

Thomas  Yardley. 

U/i/ier-MakeJield. 

Mary  Betts, 
Joseph  Thornton. 

Dolington, 

John  Whitecar. 


494 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 


PEAWSYL  FJJVIJ. 


Solcbury. 

Israel  Childs, 
Aaron  Eastburii, 
Amos  Scott, 
Robert  T.  Neely, 
Joseph  Wilkinson. 

JVeiv-HoJw. 

Amos  Ely, 
Samuel  Kip  say. 

Buckingham, 
Ebenezer  Conrad. 
JVewtoivn, 
Amos  Brii^gs. 

jittleborough. 

Eliza  Hains, 
Thomas  Kitchen, 
Gabriel  Mitchel. 

Milford. 

William  Hulme. 

Moreland» 

Joseph  Pryor, 
Hugh  Roberts, 
Richard  Robb, 
John  Robinson, 
George  S.  Shelmire. 

jFrank/ori* 

Rachael  Carpenter, 
Joseph  Guilkey, 
W.  Hurst. 

Abingion, 

William  Francis, 

Levi  Fisher, 

Wm.  Grant, 

Isaac  Hallowell, 

John  R.  Hallowell, 

John  Morrison, 

Rev.  Wm.  M.  Tentnt  D.  D. 


Thomas  Tyson, 
John  Tyson, 
Elijah  Tyson, 
Benjamin  Tyson. 

Ufifier 'Dublin, 

John  Burk,  2  copies. 
Benjamin  Barnes, 
James  Barnes, 
Conrad  Clime, 
George  Dresher, 
Levi  Darrah. 
Joseph  Fitwater, 
George  Hague, 
Levi  Jarret, 
Isaac  Kirk, 
Joseph  Lukens, 
W^m.  Lukens, 
Samuel  Robinson, 
James  Kutter, 
Martha  Sturges, 
Alice  Thomas, 
Jesse  West, 
Joseph  Wise. 

Whitpain. 

Samuel  Ashmead, 
1  homas  Butcher, 
Mordecai  Jones, 
Daniel  Lavering, 
Randle  Orsborn, 
Isaac  H.  Putner, 
Job  Roberts, 
John  Styer, 
David  Thomas, 
Rev.  George  Wack, 
John  Wentz, 
Jacob  Yost, 
Isaac  Zimmerman, 
Jacob  Zimmerman, 

Whitemarsh. 

Adam  Huffman, 
Jesse  Jarrett, 
Samuel  Maulsby, 
Jonathan  Roberts, 
John  Smith, 


^ 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 


495 


PEA'jVSYL  vania. 


D.  Wolmer, 
Septimus  Wood, 
Isaac  Williams. 

Plymouth. 

Alexander  Crawford, 
Samuel  Davis, 
Edward  Roberts. 

JSiorrington. 

Samuel  Knose, 
Joseph  Roberts, 
David  Supplee, 

J. — z  — 

JVorristown, 

Daniel  Arnold, 
Robert  Carothers, 
Robert  llammell. 
Rev.  John  Jones, 
Philip  Markley, 
Jesse  Roberts, 
George  Righter, 
Matthias  Thoplin, 
Mark  Thompson, 
William  Thomas, 

Worcester, 

John  Benson, 
Evan  Bisson, 
John  Davib, 
Peter  Johnson, 
Joseph  Syson, 
Abraham  Supplee. 

Gwynedd. 

Jesse  Foulke, 
Amos  Griffith, 
Benjamin  Harry, 
Edward  Jenkins, 
John  Knipe, 
Joseph  Lewis,  esq. 
Jpseph  Meridith, 
George  Roberts, 
George  Sheive. 


Dristoi. 

John  Bissonett, 
Phineas  Buckley, 
Joseph  Headley, 
Thomas  Leonard, 
Jonathan  Pursill, 
Abel  Van  Zant. 

.^e-wfiort. 

Samuel  Vanschuyler. 

Aew-Brittain. 

John  Duncan, 
John  Davis, 
Margaret  Grearal, 
Charles  Humphrey, 
Elizabeth  Haas, 
Abner  Morris, 
Edward  Matthew, 
Benjamin  Matthew,  sen, 
David  Swart, 
Ephraim  1  homas. 

Tredyffrin. 

John  Beaver, 
Joseph  Bartholomew, 
John  Brown, 
Israel  Davis, 
John  Jones, 
James  Kennedy, 
John  Kugler, 

Mary  Moore, 

John  Rouland» 

Abel  Reese, 

Jolin  Reese, 

Daniel  Richards, 

Hananiah  Walker, 

David  \\'ilson. 

Eastoji, 

Joseph  Burke, 
M.  Chun  hman, 
Conrad  Davis, 
Barnabas  Davis. 


49^ 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 
PEJVJVSYL  VAJVIJ. 


Peter  Deats, 
John  C.  Ernet, 
WilHam  G.  hrnc^t, 
George  W.  Ernet, 
Abraham  Ealer, 
John  Green, 
Abraham  Hay, 
Davis  Jones, 
John  Megoodin, 
J.  Mixseil, 
Rev.  Thomas  Pomp, 
Martin  Potturpt, 
George  Ress, 
John  Ross,  esq. 
Sarah  Scoby, 
John  Tucker, 
Wm.  Torbert. 

Providence. 

Matthias  Brumback, 
Joshua  Crawford, 
Robert  Gettys, 
John  Hiser, 
Mary  Logan. 

East'  Whiteland, 

Benjamin  Bartholomew, 
William  Everhart, 

M. G.- 

Campfield  Harris, 
Enoch  Kitchen, 
George  Maiin, 
Randal  Malin, 
William  Richison, 
Samuel  Richison, 
John  Sim  onton, 
David  Todd, 
Mai-y  Watson. 

Willistoivn. 

Andrew  Alexander, 
Abner  Eachus, 
William  Evans, 
Lewis  Garret, 
John  Garret, 
Nathan  Garret, 
William  Garret,  jui;, 
Abner  Griffith, 


John  Harris, 
Thomas  Hall, 
Amos  Hilberd, 
John  Hansley, 
Isaac  Haines, 
George  Herzel, 
Thomas  Mattock, 
Michael  Sill, 
Townsend  Thomas, 
Joseph  Waterman, 

Great 'Valley, 

David  Cloyd, 
Josiah  Hilberd, 
William  Harris, 
Rev.  William  Latta, 
James  Malin. 

Radnor. 

David  Brooke, 
Wm.  Black, 
Abel  Leurs, 
Edward  Siter. 

Goshen.. 

Joseph  Garrett, 
Benjeimin  Garrett, 
Isaac  Haines,  sen. 
Abraham  Pratt, 
John  Singler, 
Nathan  Sharpless, 
John  Townsend, 
Wm.  Worthington, 
Eber  Worthington* 

Horscham. 

John  Carr, 
Mary  Carr, 
James  Van  Zant. 

U/ifier-Merion. 

Benjamin  Brooks^ 
Peter  Ramsey, 
Jacob  Ramsay, 
Jonathan  Ramsey, 
Richard  Rue, 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 
FEAJVSYL  VANU. 


497 


^mK 


Germantoivn, 

Samuel  Blair, 
Rev.  Charles  Helfeusteiu, 
Samuel  Keyser, 
William  Keyser, 
Daniel  Lippard. 

Upper-Provideyice, 
Israel  Bringhurst. 

Lovjer-Providence. 

James  Been. 

Tominson. 

Samuel  Castner, 
John  Rife, 
Jacob  Rulf, 
Abraham  Supple, 
Abraham  Slover, 
Joseph  Smith, 
Jacob  Wompole, 

Wayne  c. 

Adrian  Dawes. 

Sfiringfield, 

Joseph  Breackenridge, 
Jeremiah  Billeu, 
Christopher  Rex. 

Williams, 

Philip  Drumheller. 

Cheltenham, 

Richard  Leech, 
Richard  Martin, 
Bartholomew  Mether, 
John  Sutten. 

Philadcl/ihia» 

Thomas  Branagaji,  20  copies 
Benedict  Dorsey, 
John  Coffman, 
Philip  Dolts, 
Stephen  Littell, 
VOL.  ik  3r 


Stephen  Large, 
Jacob  Miller,  esq. 
Samuel    Townsend, 
Samuel  Wilson. 

Hartford. 

Charles  Collins, 
E.  Johnson, 
Adam  Litzenburgh, 
Joseph  Vogdes, 
Benjamin  Yard. 

Miles 'Town, 

Dr.  Geqrge  D.  Beneville, 
John  Backman, 
Isaac  Thomas, 
Richard  Wilson. 

Bensalem, 

Henry  Ridge,  jun. 

Southamfiton, 

Jacob  Krewson. 
^<icholas  Wenzel. 

Doylestonvn. 

John  Fritzinger, 
John  D.  James, 
Benjamin  James,  sen, 
Isaac  James, 
Mason  James, 
Benjamin  Watson,  jun. 

Hill-Town, 
H.  Carver. 

Charlestown 

Jacob  Hack, 
Henry  Jenkins, 
James  Sloan, 
Jacob  Wersler, 
George  Wersler. 

Lower-Merrion, 
Jonathan  Miller, 


498 


SUBSCRIBERS  NAMES. 

PEJ\rJVSYL  VAJVIA. 


Charles  Thomas,  esq. 
"William  Thomas. 

Mount-Bethel,  n.  c. 

Nathaniel  Brittain. 

Dtlaware  c, 

Elias  Baker, 
.Tonathan  Jones, 


Richard  Passmore, 
Jonas  Preston, 
Enos  Reed, 
William  Thomas, 
Matthew  Wood. 

Bucks  County* 

John  Pitner. 


NEW.YORK. 


J\eW'  York, 
Rev.  Thomas  Y.  Howe, 


Richard  F.  Kissam? 
Joseph  Ran«kin. 


Commdcut  State, 
John  Strong, 


N.  B.  Manynames  are  omited  in  the  foregoing  list ;  not  having 
received  them  in  time  for  insertion — and  some  very  likely  are  mis- 
spelled— and  for  several  we  have  been  compelled,  owing  to  the  want 
of  acquaintance  with  the  hand- writing,  to  substitute  initials. 


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